MVN - Most Valuable Network

2008 Draft Studs and Duds

     As a general rule, an NFL team’s draft class cannot be completely evaluated for a few seasons.  Well, it’s been a few days since this year’s draft ended, which seems like the perfect time to look around the rest of the league. 

      As I mentioned Sunday night, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys just don’t get it.  Of course, they are not the only ones.  Unfortunately, though, other teams do get it…and many of those compete against
Dallas in the NFC.

     With that in mind, here’s a look at other studs and duds from the 2008 NFL Draft:

 

STUDS 

1. 
   Green Bay Packers

This franchise is entering the biggest era of change since Vince Lombardi quit roaming the sidelines on the Frozen Tundra.  With Brett Favre retiring, the team needed to make a statement and establish a clear direction for the future.  Boy, did they do that.  The Packers acquired two of the top 10 players in the draft—certainly not bad, but all the more remarkable considering that the team got both in the second round. 

 

Jordy Nelson, the third receiver taken, immediately steps in as the team’s third wide out and could be challenging Greg Jennings for an official starting role by Week 8.  Nelson is big, strong, runs excellent routes, and is one of the highest-character guys in the draft.  The man is a football player, plain and simple.  Just a few selections from being a first-round pick (he likely would have been, if the Jets hadn’t needed so desperately to grab Dustin Keller), the Packers got the best receiver in the draft.  Look for 75 catches, 900 yards, and 10-12 touchdowns this year.

 

Just 20 picks after that coup,
Green Bay grabbed Favre’s heir in Brian Brohm.  Had he left school after last season, Brohm would have been the No. 1 overall pick.  However, he stayed in school, got screwed by Bobby Petrino and perhaps the worst defense ever assembled at the Division I level, and instead got selected to replace a Hall of Famer.  If he can stay healthy, finally, he will be starting for the Packers in
Seattle on October 12 (fortuitously, after the Cowboys visit Lambeau).  With great size, talent, and character, Brohm is the steal of the draft, and, surrounded by excellent playmakers on offense and an elite defense, will be a Pro Bowl quarterback for the next decade and a half.

 

The next two selections—Patrick Lee and Jermichael Finley—are guys who won’t be asked to star right away but should develop into solid players at the next level.  The Packers finished Day Two by shoring up both lines, and drafting Matt Flynn allows for solid depth at a critical position.

 

Coming of a 13-win season and conference championship game appearance, the Packers nailed the best draft in the league.  With a soft schedule, another 13- or 14-win season and deep playoff run seems very likely.

 

1. 
   Washington Redskins

For a team that hasn’t seemed to give two rats’ behinds about the draft in recent seasons, it wasn’t a shock to see the Redskins trade out of the first round.  However,
Washington turned three second rounder’s and three sixth rounder’s into quite an offensive haul.   

 

Already a playoff team, and having averaged just more than 20 points per game last season, Washington went bonkers, grabbing the fourth- and sixth-best receivers on the board in Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas.  Both guys are big enough to push corners around at the line of scrimmage and will be perfect compliments to speedster Santana Moss.  Fred Davis will learn a great deal from Pro Bowler Chris Cooley; at any given time, the Redskins will have at least three, and as many as five, dangerous weapons on the field…and that’s without counting star running back Clinton Portis. 

 

Justin Tryon was a solid pick in round four, and field position won’t be a problem after getting the best punter in the draft.  Colt Brennan was a very intriguing pick; if he can adjust to the culture change from
Hawaii to D.C., he has the skills to become a solid NFL quarterback (judging him just from that Sugar Bowl is a mistake).  At the very least, he provides a stronger backup option than Todd Collins, and he will be a capable replacement if starter Jason Campbell can’t stay healthy or take the next step in his development.

 

Bolstered by that second-round boon,
Washington carried that momentum into a solid second day.  A playoff offense should be able to average an extra 4-7 points per game this year.  In any other division, the Redskins project as an 11-win team; in the NFC East, 9-10 wins, but still another playoff berth, is reasonable.

 

 

1. San Diego Chargers/Pittsburgh Steelers (tie)

Despite having only five picks (just one on Saturday), the Chargers put together a very solid draft class.  After leading the league with 30 interceptions last season,
San Diego added the best corner in the draft in Antoine Cason.  Cason started every game during his four—no redshirt—seasons with an underrated

University of
Arizona defense and intercepted 15 passes.  Also a strong kick returner, Cason will more than replace Drayton Florence; it would be a shock if he didn’t challenge Quentin Jammer for the other starting spot with Antonio Cromartie.  It is not going to be fun to throw the football against this team.

 

Jacob Hester is an excellent pick to succeed Michael Turner.  Although he doesn’t have the speed of Darren Sproles, he is a very good runner between the tackles and a much better blocker and receiver out of the backfield.  He will be a high energy leader, dangerous third down receiver, and LaDainian Tomlinson will enjoy running behind him. 

 

Marcus Thomas and DeJuan Tribble were good depth picks at the end.  For this team, a division title should be expected, and Super Bowl appearance wouldn’t be surprising.

 

Pittsburgh did an excellent job of getting value with each of the team’s seven selections.  The Steelers scooped up Rashard Mendenhall in the first round, and he should be an excellent complimentary back to 1,300-yard runner Willie Parker.  If Parker has to miss any time due to injury (likely), Mendenhall has the size and talent to become a feature back.

 

At 53, the Steelers finally got Ben Roethlisberger a huge receiver at whom to throw; without the wrist injury that cost him the last half of his senior year, the perhaps overrated Limas Sweed would have been a first-round pick.  When he’s motivated, Sweed can make spectacular catches.

 

Another Longhorn,

Tony
Hills, will be a solid backup on the offensive line.  Once he’s fully recovered also, he could be an 8-10 year starter at either tackle spot.  Dennis Dixon would have won the Heisman until his knee exploded; if he has any of the speed and mobility he showed during the season after recovery, he will be a dynamic runner/receiver/returner and can even take a few snaps in some trick plays.

 

Pittsburgh is counting on lots of luck as these guys come back from major injuries.  If it pays off, this was a championship-building draft.

 

 

Honorable Mention:
Philadelphia Eagles

In dropping out of the first round, the Eagles got Carolina’s 2009 top pick (which, even with Jonathan Stewart, could be pretty high if Jake Delhomme goes down).  In the second round, the team upgraded both sides of the ball in Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson.

 

Laws was one of two bright spots (with Tom Zbikowski) on Notre Dame’s defense last year, and he will be an excellent reserve for Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley. 

 

Jackson blazes the turf on his routes, and he won’t have much competition from Hank Baskett for the No. 2 receiver role.  If
Jackson can bulk up just a little without losing speed, he will be very tough for smaller corners (Mike Jenkins) to defend.

 

Quintin Demps was a good value pick in Round Four; the only truly puzzling selection was Jack Ikegwuonu because he is not expected to play this year after getting hurt preparing for the combine.  Other than that pick,
Philadelphia got better and deeper on both sides of the football.

 

 

DUDS 

3.  
New York Jets

The Jets didn’t have many picks, so it was tough to really get into a flow over the weekend.  Ultimately, though, a team picking in the top 10 is judged by that initial choice. 

 

If
New York gets 5-7 years of the Vernon Gholston who is motivated and wants to play each week, they will be thrilled.  When he wants to be, Gholston is a nightmare to block and will always have the quarterback worrying about him from the time the ball is snapped.  If the Jets can’t get him going, though, he’ll be a bigger flop than Tom Tancredo’s presidential campaign.

 

The team’s other first-rounder, Dustin Keller, doesn’t seem to fill a major need (unless Eric Mangini just needed to tick off starter Chris Baker).  Of course, I don’t fault the team for going and getting the guy they wanted.  It just seems that other needs could have been addressed with the 30^th pick.

 

Erik Ainge was a very good pick for
New York.  Given time to develop, while everyone determines for sure that Kellen Clemens isn’t the answer, Ainge should be a quality quarterback on a Jets playoff team.  However, the team followed that choice with a lackluster pick in Marcus Henry, who probably won’t ever be more than a No. 4 receiver.  Mike Hart would have been a much better choice at that spot.

 

The Jets haven’t had much luck in April recently, and they didn’t seem to do much to change that this weekend.  More than anything else, Gholston must become a superstar; I don’t think he will.

 

 

1. 
   Tennessee Titans

When building a franchise, management must pick a player as the foundation.  The Titans have done that with Vince Young (a great move).  However, that foundation doesn’t work without support.  Vince won 10 games and went to the playoffs essentially by himself last season.  Without quality receivers, though, he won’t be able to carry this team any further.

 

The biggest need for the team is at wide receiver and has been for several years. 
Tennessee hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2004 (heck, they haven’t had an 800-yard receiver since then).  With a perceived very deep class, and two of the first 54 picks, the Titans had opportunities to help Vince out.  Instead, they got him another running back, Chris Johnson.  Sure, he’s fast as all get out, but his size (under 200 pounds) makes him ill-suited to be on the field enough to be a true impact player.  Even when he does see the field, persistent fumbling issues could potentially neglect every big play he makes.  Every receiver on the board was available at 24, and one of the top three—Mario Manningham—was still around at 54.

 

Finally, 126 picks into the draft, the team took Lavelle Hawkins.  He’s small and not terribly quick, but a solid value pick here.  Problem is, the Titans are loaded with “value” No. 4 receivers.  Those guys—Justin Gage and Roydell Williams—had less than 1,500 yards and seven touchdowns combined.  Hawkins could be a good complimentary piece; he just doesn’t have anyone to compliment.

 

The rest of the draft focused on defense (except Craig Stevens), and each of those guys are uninspiring.  Clearly, the front office saw something in William Hayes that nobody else in football did.  Until this team gets Vince some real help, though, the rest of the draft just will not matter.

 

 

1. 
   Cincinnati Bengals

Oh. My. A God.  This weekend was nothing short of catastrophic for the Bengals.  First of all, the team declined to deal Chad Johnson and so left TWO No. 1 picks on the table.  As childish as Johnson is acting, the team is only hurting itself by holding on to him.  Despite having ten picks (four in the first 100), this team failed to land a single absolute, impact playmaker.  More than the guys they took, though, it was the type of guys they took.

 

The team is still reeling from having 10 players arrested in 14 months, just got Odell Thurman back from suspension, and cut Chris Henry before the draft because he couldn’t stay out of handcuffs.  Yet,
Cincinnati loaded up on guys with, at best, questionable character. 

 

The guy with perhaps the strongest character, top pick Keith Rivers, simply isn’t talented enough to justify going ninth overall.  While he certainly should be a dependable, every down player, he’s not the superstar, home run prospect a team picking that early clearly needs.

 

The next three picks, Jerome Simpson, Pat Sims, and Andre Caldwell, indicate a lack of skill in the team’s talent evaluators.  Simpson has good size, but he’s going to have make a considerable adjustment going from Coastal Carolina to the NFL, especially playing the Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and
Cleveland defenses twice each season.  Sims doesn’t have the stamina to contribute more than 10-15 plays per game, and
Caldwell hasn’t shown the durability necessary to stay on the field for 16 games.

 

While most defensive tackles break blocks, Jason Shirley breaks the law.  Given his past issues, it’s unlikely he makes it through training camp without getting arrested, suspended, cut, or all three.

 

Corey Lynch, of
Michigan field-goal blocking fame, is a solid player and person; he should end up being the second-best player of this class for the Bengals, after Rivers.  Given that he was the seventh player
Cincinnati selected (the 177^th overall), that doesn’t bode well for the Bengals’ future.  This franchise hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990.  With a brutal schedule that includes the NFC East, Indianapolis, Houston, Jacksonville, and
Kansas City, a 4-12, or worse, season looks probable.  More so than any franchise in the league, even Arizona,
Cincinnati just does not get it.  

 

 

 Brian Smith can be reached at BLSmith@mail.utexas.edu

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 9:22 am and is filed under The Cowboy Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.