Before the draft, I had 10 major questions to be answered on draft
day. All of them got answered (well maybe #9 was not fully
answered). The irony of this whole thing was that the question
that just missed this list (which is at the bottom of the page) ended
up being the best question.
10. Will
early season college injuries affect them? Both Antonio
Cromartie of Florida State and Jason Allen or Tennessee are coming off
major injuries. Cromartie was actually injured in the
preseason. The question remains how will these injuries affect
their stock. Both players seem to be locks in the first round,
but if a team doctor has a different opinion, these two could possibly
fall.
No, Allen
goes to the Dolphins at #16 and Cromartie goes to the Chargers at
#19. Yes, I know the two could have been top 15 picks without the
injuries, but still both players should be ecstatic!
9. My
Florida State defensive linemen fear, do GM's have it?. I
hate to be afraid of a prospect because of the school he came from, but
when it comes to FSU and its defensive linemen I am. Andre
Wadsworth is the face of FSU D-line bust. This year: DT Brodrick
Bunkley and DE Kamerion Wimbley are both expected to go in round
1. Both players’ stock has climbed because of great
workouts. I just hope they do not turn out like some of their
fellow FSU alumns. That reminds me, where is Jamal
Reynolds? Anyways, if I see these two guys fall, I will assume
GM's must suffer from the same fear as I do. If this is true,
Chad Jackson could be in trouble, if GM's also have a Florida WR fear.
Maybe,
Wimbley goes #13 to the Browns and Bunkley goes #14 to the
Eagles. I could argue that the Bills had this fear becuase they
seemed ready to take Bunkley, but opted for the safety. I assume
the Bills just really like Donte Whitner. By the way, I now know
the Bills have a fetish for Ohio State defensive backs. However,
there may be a fear of Florida wideouts, with Chad Jackson falling to
the 2nd round.
8. Jay
Cutler, will where he go? Jay Cutler could go anywhere
from #3 to the Titans to #17 to the Vikings. This is the problem
for any first round talent QB. If you are not picked quickly, you
can quickly drop. Just ask Aaron Rodgers. Thanks to free
agency, most teams are able to find a quarterback outside the
draft.
#11 to
the Broncos. He does not experience an Aaron Rodgers.
7. How
many defensive backs will go in round 1? Everyone knows
Michael Huff will be the first DB off the board. But how many
will follow him in round 1? Jimmy Williams, Tye Hill, Jason
Allen, Donte Whitner, and Jonathan Joseph seem to be locks to go in the
first round, with Antonio Cromartie and Ashton Youboty high
possibilities of being first rounders. However, if I was the GM
for a team I would have a really hard time drafting a guy ranked 6th at
his position in the first round, when I could get the 2nd best guy at
another position. (I am referencing the Bengals and Bears who
could take a DB or choose a TE, such as Pope or Lewis).
7,
Michael Huff, Donte Whitner, Tye Hill, Jason Allen, Antonio Cromartie,
Johnathan Joseph, and Kelly Jennings. I guess with Jimmy
Williams, it shows there are no locks.
6. Ngata
or Bunkley? The battle to be the first defensive tackle
off the board comes down between Haloti Ngata and Brodrick
Bunkley. For most of “draft season” Ngata seemed to be expected
to be the first DT drafted. But, over the past few weeks, Bunkley
has started to become the number one DT on most boards. However,
my board still has Ngata on top because I put more consideration into
game footage over workouts. I hate to place too much emphasis on
workouts. Because every year there seems to be some workout
champion who becomes a complete dud in the NFL.
Ngata, he
goes to the Ravens at #12, Bunkley goes to Eagles #14
5. What
are the 49ers thinking? The 49ers now have two first
round draft picks thanks to the trade with the Broncos. Now the
question I have: who are they targeting at #22. The 49ers
would never have made that trade unless they knew that a guy they
target would be there. I have three guesses. I apologize if
these guesses are so obvious. Guess 1: They want one of the
OLBs: either Greenway, Carpenter, Ryans, or Lawson. Guess 2: They
want Santonio Holmes. Guess 3: They want one of the big
TEs. If all my guesses are wrong, then I just stink and need to
get a new day job.
My first
guess is right: OLB. 49ers took the stud, Manny
Lawson. I take credit in predicting this pick.
4. How
far will Tamba Hali and Mathias Kiwanuka drop? At one
time, both these guys were top 15 prospects. However, in the last
few weeks, both players’ stock has just taken a nose dive. Both
players will be lucky to even get in the first round.
However, if they do fall to the second round, some really bad team will
get a really great player (Imagine Green Bay could end up with Hawk and
Hali).
Not too
far. Both stayed in the first round. Hali goes #20 to the
Chiefs, while Kiwanuka goes #32 to the Giants.
3. Who
cares about #1, who is going #2? It seems to be almost a
guarantee that Reggie Bush will be the number one pick. So with
that out of the way, lets get to the drama: the number two
pick. The Saints have basically two options: do you take
the offensive lineman who is expected to be a Pro Bowler for years to
come, or do you take the defensive lineman who is expected to be a Pro
Bowler for years to come. The Saints have a hard decision to make
and it is too bad Virginia did not play NC State this year. The
choice could have been settled on the field. D’Brickashaw
Ferguson or Mario Williams, whomever the Saints do not choose will most
likely end up in New York.
This
question ends up being completely stupid. #1 ends up being the
most talked about pick. And the answer to this question:
Reggie Bush, if you did not know by now.
2. Will
one of the four running backs get to Indianapolis?
Even Paris Hilton could tell you the Colts want a running back.
But will a top running back be there when the Colts draft at #30.
As of now only Laurence Maroney and LenDale White even have a shot to
be there. If both guys are gone, do the Colts choose to take
Joseph Addai or do the Colts go in another direction?
Yes,
LenDale White made it to the Colts, but the Colts chose Joseph Addai
over him.
1. How
many tight ends will go in the first round? I make it no
secret that I love the tight end position. With probably the
deepest class of tight ends ever, I predict three tight ends will be
drafted in the first round: Vernon Davis, Leonard Pope, and
Marcedes Lewis. However, it still remains cloudy if Pope and
Lewis will get drafted in round 1. Most of you may be
disappointed that this is the number one question, but let me remind
you that these are my questions.
2, Vernon
Davis and Marcedes Lewis.
Question that just missed this list: Could Jimmy Williams’ stock
drop because of his character issues?
Yes, all
the way to the 2nd round.
Lastly, why did none of my questions
include Matt Leinart or Vince
Young? Because in all honesty I am tired of asking questions
about Leinart and Young. Let every other expert ask those
questions.
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