Sunday, April 27, 2008, 06:31 AM EST
[
NFL Draft Report Card]
1. An afterthought, maybe. Am I the only one who wonders why there isn't a rookie cap in the NFL? Sure, JLong will probably be good. But I thought Robert Gallery would be crushing DL's too.
2. Unbelievable to hear the talking heads prattle about a ceiling on Chris Long. Short of blazing speed, the guy is a phenom. He's got burst, power and jumps out the room. Sure he got handled by OLiners who had 60-75 lbs. on him, but name one player this side of the real LT who didn't have that problem. Long will be an excellent NFL player and a worthwhile choice at #2.
3. Not just the start of a new era in ATL, but the end of another. Matt Ryan will return respectability to the QB spot for the Falcons. And the fact that they'll have a QB at QB won't hurt either. Don't let the Ryan pick exclude the possibility of Art Blank letting Mike Vick return to ATL, but thankfully it will be at Vick's natural position.
4. Hard to pick apart the Raiders choice of McFadden. Sure they could have used a trench player, but they can use someone at every position. When you suck as much as the Raiders, a good player is a good pick.
8. The Jags purged their DL and then may have reached desperately at #8. Good to see a defensive powerhouse dump a few highly paid, proven performers to overpay one, undersized unproven player in Harvey. Is Jax thinking he's the second coming of Dwight Freeny?
13. Johnathan Stewart will fit in Carolina, and he's a quality choice. But with Brian Brohm, Joe Flacco and Chad Henne on the board, and Jake Delhomme coming off Tommy John Surgery . . .??? Not sure who the Panthers are considering as an insurance policy, may JD Booty or Colt Brennan, but both lack starter size and ability.
18. Speaking of Flacco, I don't love the guy because he went to my alma mater, I just love that arm. Throws the ball like it's on a string, with awesome velocity and accuracy, yet has great touch downfield. Maybe the best physical specimen at QB in the last ten years. The knock on him is his footwork. Well you can teach footwork. You can't teach arm.
21. I like the Matt Ryan pick. Not sure about Baker at 21. The guy is not equipped to be an NFL Tackle. Maybe the Falcons are thinking they have the next Alan Faneca. The bad news is, Faneca thought he was a lot better than the film showed recently and he was getting worked pretty good for the last three years. Still if Baker pans out at guard, assuming the Birds put him there, it might be a good marriage at least for the first two contracts.
23. Mel Kiper, in his infinite wisdom, called this a "luxury pick" for Pittsburgh. The Steelers started 9-3 and finished 1-3. Where's the luxury for a team that collapsed down the Stretch? The Steelers aren't deep anywhere and their best RB broke his leg last year. They took the best player available, by far. Any player to take the heat of Big Sack Taker is a great pick.
26. Another player termed a reach? Depends on what reaching is. I don't think taking a good player (like Duane Brown) who fits what you do, a little early is a reach. I think taking an overrated player at any position is a reach.
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