Random Draft Day Thoughts

[JIvers]

So far, the highlight of the draft for me was watching Leinart's bewildered "why has thou forsaken me" face as the Titans, Jets, and the other top seven teams in the draft passed on him. Nothing against Leinart--if he somehow had ended up a Viking I would have been happy with him--but the way ESPN kept zooming in on his face was priceless.

Lack of arm strength or no, I would have taken Leinart over Vince Young.

Does Oakland have a draft strategy, or does Al Davis throw darts at a board to make his pick? I would have taken Leinart or Cutler over a safety. I'm not sure why the Bills went the way they did, either.

Who is Donte Whitner? He played for Ohio State, and yet I never heard of him...

[Down to Earth]

3 Good Rookie Linebackers in the NFC North next season:

Hawk: GB

Sims: Det

Greenway:MN

[bucketmouth64]

I think Jets beat the Vikes drafting Qb from Oregon. Made a trade to get him ahead of the Vikes. Who do they go after now in the 3rd round? Vikes, in turn, draft center Ryan Cook from New Mexico. Why didn't they draft Eslinger?

[JIvers]

I was a little surprised to see the Vikings pass on the available QBs with their second-round picks. My best guess is that the Vikings were scared off by the injury issues with both Clemens and Croyle, and went with defense and o-line needs instead. Griffin is supposed to be a good CB, and I will assume Cook, whom I know nothing about, is a decent center and offensive lineman.

As of this point in time (62nd pick overall), Croyle and Whitehurst are still available. I don't know when the Vikings pick in the third round, but they could be gambling that one of those QBs will still be around.

[buzzsaw]

From Michael Smith of ESPN:

We won't really know for several years but these are the teams I think did well for themselves Saturday:

1. Houston: Generally, good defenses have a fearsome front-seven defender. The Texans got theirs in Mario Williams. And they get the linebacker help they desperately needed in Alabama's DeMeco Ryans.

2. New York Jets: Not bad for a couple of first timers. Rookie general manager Mike Tannenbaum and first-year head coach Eric Mangini get a couple of building blocks in "the Brick" -- top-rated tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson -- and top-rated center Nick Mangold of Ohio State. New York also gets it young quarterback in Oregon's Kellen Clemens, whose intelligence, leadership, and infectious personality the Jets love. And the Jets immediately become players in the 2007 draft by picking up Washington's second-round pick next year.

3. New Orleans: Reggie Bush is one of the best things to happen to the Saints and the city in some time. As for Bush falling, hey, Marshall Faulk, coincidentally a New Orleans native, went second overall in 1994.

4. San Francisco: Niners got not just starters in the first round but a playmaker for both sides of the ball in Maryland's Vernon Davis and N.C. State's Manny Lawson, who was overshadowed by Williams.

5. New England: I'm just surprised that the Patriots took players, Laurence Maroney of Minnesota and Florida wide receiver Chad Jackson, whom the average fan actually has heard of.

6. Minnesota : Remember this name: Mike Tomlin. The first-year defensive coordinator and former Tampa Bay defensive backs coach is on the fast track to becoming a head coach. Maybe after this year, because the Vikings have done a lot to improve the defense. One head coach told me he thought Iowa's Chad Greenway, Minnesota's first-round pick, was maybe the best coverage linebacker to come out of college in the past five years. And in Round 2 the Vikings pick up versatile Texas cornerback Cedric Griffin, a perfect fit in Tomlin's Tampa 2 scheme.

7. Arizona: Like New Orleans, the Cardinals not only got a good player but also a high profile one to sell to their fans. And they beef up the o-line with Matt Leinart's teammate, guard Deuce Lutui.

8. Philadelphia: Eagles shore up both lines and end up with a projected top-10 pick in defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley and the player originally projected to go to them in Round 1, USC's Winston Justice.

-- Michael Smith

[mnvikingsfreak]

Tarvaris Jackson???????

[buzzsaw]

From the powerhouse "Alabama State" 6 ft 2 inches ~ 226 lbs runs a 4.68 40 yd dash.

Overall: Jackson appeared in three games of the 2001 season but he missed the most of the season, as he sustained a shoulder injury and he was granted a medical red-shirt. He started one of the eight games he played in for Arkansas in 2002. Jackson transferred to Alabama State in 2003. He played in 13 games for Alabama State in 2003 throwing for 2,342 yards, 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing just over 50 percent of his passes. Jackson also rushed for 444 yards and five touchdowns on 91 attempts that year. He played in 12 games in 2004 throwing for 2,556 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing just over 52 percent of his passes. Jackson also rushed for 367 yards and three touchdowns on 65 carries that year. He played in 11 games during the 2005 season. He threw for 2,941 yards, 29 touchdowns.

[cybermuskie]

I had to tape the draft, now I am up to speed and my first thoughts are "What they heck are they doing? Give up your 3rd round picks for those two guys, who are they? They could have gotten both in the 3rd round" I would like to know if they tried to move up in the 1st or not. So far I give them a "C-" I am bummed!

[james_walleye]

Yeah i wasnt real happy with it all. I liked the Greenway pick, i was happy he was there at #17. I think what bummed me is that they didnt take Clemens at #48 and then the jets moved up and sniped him out before we picked at #51. But i would like too know the reasoning behind moving up too get the QB they did. Was someone else hot on this guy that they didnt think they could wait until their 3rd round pick? I really thought that they wouldnt make all 5 picks yesterday but i really had in mind that that meant they would move up from #17 and snipe someone out, i was disappointed that they werent more aggressive.

[cybermuskie]

It kinda sounded like they tried to move up to 8 (Bills) but they must not have made the deal that sweet. and they probably didn't want to drop that far. ESPN was saying we had a good day. Maybe for the D-side but not they O!

[koonie]

Not impressed with our draft strategy. We could have picked most of the guys we traded up for in later rounds. We left way to many good players out there, players who could have helped us. Poor draft by the Vikes. I'm not really surprised.

[JIvers]

I would rate the Vikings draft as good in places, and unclear, rather than bad, in others. Chad Greenway is a good pick--I have been at the University of Iowa for six years now, and have seen Greenway play many times in his career here. The local media, which is not exactly unbiased, has argued for a couple years now that Greenway is every bit as good as A.J. Hawk, and suffers from not playing at a school with the national exposure that Ohip State gets. I am not going to go that far, but I say Greenway is a good pick, who fills a need for the Vikings.

Cedric Griffin is rated as a solid safety, so I can live with that pick as well. Cook is one of the question marks--most people rated him as a fourth-round pick, not a second.

Tarvaris Jackson is the big "incomplete" grade in the draft. I do not think trading up in the first round to get Cutler or Leinart would have made sense, as the price for trading up would have been too high. I also think that the health concerns on Clemens and Croyle justified passing on them in the second round.

One lesson to be taken away from the Vikings draft is that Kiper and all the other draft "experts" usually have no clue what teams are actually planning. The Vikings said today in both Twin Cities papers that they have been checking Jackson out closely since last fall, and arranged a private "secret" workout with the Alabama State QB several weeks ago. The Vikings say they had good information that another team was going to draft Jackson before the Vikings' third-round pick, and based on what they saw of his skills they felt it was worth trading both their third-round picks away to get him.

I for one had never heard of Jackson before yesterday, and I am sure no one else here had, either. Therefore, I know nothing about him, and will give him a chance to show that the Vikings were right to pick him, as they have been checking him out for some time. The Vikings say Jackson will need a year to adjust to the pro game, but he can do that behind Johnson and McMahon.

[Down to Earth]

Quote:

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-I have been at the University of Iowa for six years now,

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What can you tell me about Abdul Hodge? They say he's a little on the small side, but 300+ tackles for his career playing along Greenway has to account for something. Right now I am very excited about the long term prospects of our linebacking corp. Hawk, Hodge, and Barnett are all young, and could be a scary trio for the NFC North for many years to come.

[buzzsaw]

Who's who in this picture?? It said AJ Hawk with his Fiancee'... I just couldn't tell who was the female.

Ya gotta love border battles.

[soldoncass]

I like the top 2 Viking drafts . The other ones look like "projects" to me with a lot of promise. It'll be a while ( about 2 years) before anyone can evaluate this draft for sure. It looks to me like they like the free agents and veterans they have for rest of the team, to trade away 3 later round picks like that. They will try some undrafted guys out too, so you never know who they could come up with. One thing that concerns me though is the Pack getting 12 picks while we only took 4-5? that doesn't sit well.

[FI Guide]

Buzz that is Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame's sister.

[otto_man]

Buzzsaw, you'll know who the fe"male" is for the next 10 to 12 years!

Green Bay Packers -- A+

With linebackers A.J. Hawk and Abdul Hodge, the Packers have the beginnings of a defense that could dominate the NFC North for years.

Minnesota Vikings -- C

Outside linebacker Chad Greenway should help, but the Vikings probably could have gotten center Ryan Cook and QB Tarvaris Jackson much later than the second round.

THE WINNERS

The Packers needed an infusion of talent, and just by sheer bulk alone, they may have had the best first day of the draft. Selecting five players in the first 75 picks is always a nice luxury, and Green Bay picked up some quality talent. The Packers added two of the best linebackers in the country in A.J. Hawk and Abdul Hodge to their porous defense, then accentuated their first-day picks with some lesser-known talent like Darryn Colledge, Greg Jennings and Jason Spitz – three players who could all contribute as early as next season either as starters or special-teams players

THE LOSERS - The Vikings!!!

[james_walleye]

The packers did do quite well. The vikings, we'll have too see. They are real high on Jackson, the QB, and i believe he'll be the key too if this draft turns out too be an A or an F and we wont know that for about 4 years or so. For now all a guy can do is trust that they made the right moves.

[Walleyeguy31]

Any body would and could contribute to the fudgepackers the way they have played as of late! Farve having a hangnail might contribute even more!

[buzzsaw]

Quote:

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Any body would and could contribute to the fudgepackers the way they have played as of late! Farve having a hangnail might contribute even more!

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Oh my gaaahd!! That made me roll it was so funny and true!

Otto, Have you placed your bet in vegas yet, I'm sure once the so called experts figure out or read your post that the packers will once again win the super bowl the odds will go down... get in while your odds are like 10,000 to 1... go with it, you could be the richest guy in packer/fantasyland

[JIvers]

I don't see much evidence, beyond an offensive tackle from Boise State taken in the second round, that the Packers addressed their biggest need, which was offensive line play. Javon Walker didn't think things were going to get any better in Green Bay, and his second-round replacement from Western Michigan is as untested as Tarvaris Jackson is. The only big free-agent signing the Packers made was the over-rated, over-the-hill Woodson, and he won't do much to open up holes for Ahman "Butterfingers" Green, Nage Davenport, or Samkon "Liberty University back-up" Gado.

All this ignores Green Bay's biggest short-term problem, which is the return of Brett Favre. With no upgrade to the running game, the loss of Javon Walker, and little real change in the offensive line, we can expect more three-interception games from Favre, who obviously feels the need to live up to the "gunslinger" image created by the media. Ted Thompson, new coach McCarthy, and the rest of the Packers organization will continue to go along with Favre, and let him do whatever he wants, no matter how much it hurts the team. As far as I am concerned, the smartest person in the Packer organization was just traded to Denver.

As for Abdul Hodge, he was recruited by Iowa out of the Miami, Florida area, after the big Florida schools ignored him. I've resisted becoming a Hawkeye fan, but still follow their team closely, and Hodge is a typical Hawkeye football product. He was, and is, a little small to be a top-notch linebacker, and just a little slow to be a safety, but through hard work and good coaching, he became a very good college linebacker. He could make it in the NFL, but the track record for Iowa players of this mold is mixed at best. Iowa specializes in getting recruits who don't quite have the talent to be recruited at marquee schools like Michigan or USC, but have the work ethic to take full advantage of the coaching staff here. DT Matt Roth was one such player, who thrived here but failed to start for the Dolphins after being taken in the second round of the draft. Roth was just a little small to be an NFL defensive tackle, and a little slow to be an NFL linebacker. OT Robert Gallery, the second overall pick for the Raiders two years ago, has so far been a decent NFL right tackle, but not the "can't miss" prospect he was billed as coming out of college. The belief on Gallery is that great coaching made his natural skills look better than they actually were.

Greenway brought top-notch ability to Iowa, which is why he was the first Iowa linebacker taken anywhere in the draft in over fifteen years. He and Hodge made a very good linebacking tandem, but Greenway has the size and speed that Hodge is lacking.

[otto_man]

Hey Walleyeguy, what have the Vilings done lately? i know you guys get off when they beat the Packers but what have they done other than that? When was their last division title? Have they forgot to get to the podium lately to make their first round draft pick? How many quarterbacks have started for you clowns since Favre took over in Green Bay? So many questions with some stupid answers coming!!!

[packman]

EYEHUNTER I AGREE THAT THE PACKERS DIDNT GO OUT AND GET ANY OFFENCE TO HELP FAVRE BUT REMEMBER THEY HAD A 3RD STRING AND 4TH STRING RB AND HOW MANY RECIEVERS OUT. AND WITH A 4TH STRING RUNNING BACK I DO BELIEVE GADO DIDNT LOOK ALL THAT BAD. IF THEY HAD SOME OF THOSE RUNNING BACKS BACK AND A RECIEVER IN MY OPINION THEY WOULD HAVE NOT LOST AS MANY GAMES I BEILIVE THEY LOST 5 GAMES BY 3 POINTS OR LESS THE MOST IN THE NFL AND 3 OF THEM WAS BECAUSE OUR KICKER . THANK GOD HES GONE ! OH YA GOOD LUCK WITH HIM. CAN U SAY SUPER BOWL CHAMPS !! just kidding. GO PACK!!

[buzzsaw]

Great rant eyehunter! Full credit issued... I can always appreciate when somebody takes the time to analyze and break things down in detail... some people won't address what you said because you hit a "truth" nerve. nice work!!

[otto_man]

hey buzzsaw, if i were an expert i sure as heck wouldn't be sitting chatting with you guys! i'll throw my jabs out there just to get under you queens fans skin but for me to sit here and try and break down all the players strengths and weaknesses would be a waste of my time because i don't know jack dump about them/it! all my goal is here on this very fine web site is to get information on fishing, hunting, and to tick you queens fans off!!

and oh by the way, javon "i'm going to need a" walker is a waste of skin and i hope that dirt bag falls right on his face. sign a contract, live with it dork!!