George Michael. Kajagoogoo. No Doubt. Kelly Clarkson. Shania Twain. 10,000 Maniacs. Wings. Counting Crows. Spin Doctors.
The NFL is making some… creative musical decisions inside of Radio City Music Hall today.
Archive for April, 2007
Jacksonville causes near riot… or riles the half-hearted boo-birds, anyway
Published by April 29th, 2007 in 7th Round and Jacksonville Jaguars. 0 CommentsWith pick 251, Jacksonville decided to use up the entire clock, drawing the mild ire of the crowd. When the league announced Jacksonville passed, and that Jacksonville was still on the clock due to owning the next pick, the boos suddenly exploded.
You never know what’s going to set the people off.
Rutgers has a great day
Published by April 29th, 2007 in 2nd Round, 5th Round, 7th Round, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams and Rutgers. 1 CommentConcluded here with Clark Harris, TE, to Green Bay, they had a great day (and possibly a few DBs to come in Joe Porter and Derrick Roberson). In Day 1, St. Louis took a strong RB in Brian Leonard at #52 overall in the second round, then on Day 2 the Scarlet Fever continued with Cameron Stephenson going to the Steelers in Round 5.
Harris will compete with Bubba Franks to be the #1 TE for the Packers, while Leonard will be one to watch in the preseason to examine just how Linehan uses him in that offense. If he starts to steal touches, especially in the Red Zone, away from Steven Jackson he will be a huge NFL and Fantasy Football value.
Chargers nab Siler, awaken the sleepy NFL Draft crowd
Published by April 29th, 2007 in 7th Round and San Diego Chargers. 0 CommentsFlorida ILB Brandon Siler won a title and left school early to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. Imagine his disappointment at having to wait to hear his name until the latter half of the 7th round today.
On the flip side, the smattering of fans still left at Radio City Music Hall were more than happy to hear his name, cheering him on simply because they were thrilled to hear a name they recognize this late in the draft.
It may sound silly, but for the Chargers, this 7th round pick helps solidify a very good draft. S Eric Weddle will provide the dreamy combo of consistent performance and big plays at key moments, but they gave up a lot (including a 3rd) to move up for him in the 2nd. Fortunately for them, if he’s used correctly, Siler will provide the kind of help usually expected of a mid-round pick. He fits well in a 3-4 defense, primarily because he tackles much better in traffic than in space, and he should become a useful cog in San Diego’s interior LB rotation.
The Mormon Streak Continues
Published by April 29th, 2007 in 7th Round and Philadelphia Eagles. 0 CommentsAndy Reid loves to pick at least one Mormon every year for the Eagles, and that pick continued with their final pick.
RB Nate Ilaoa of Hawaii continued that faith in more than one way.
Where are the QBs on the second day?
Published by April 29th, 2007 in 4th Round, 5th Round, 6th Round and 7th Round. 0 CommentsTroy Smith lasted until the end of the 5th round, but, hey, at least he was selected. For a number of quarterbacks, today brought surprise and disappointment as the NFL looked elsewhere on day 2.
We’re halfway through the 7th, and QB Tony Korrodi is still on the board despite an accurate, powerful arm and demonstrable leadership. At 6′3″, 234 lbs., he’s also big enough to play the position.
Tyler Palko is far from a sure thing, but he’s a name QB who could succeed in the right system. Apparently, the NFL disagrees. Jared Zabransky will grace the cover of EA Sports’ NCAA ‘08 but not (yet) an NFL draft slot. Chris Leak won the national championship. Still available.
These guys are all longshots to hit. Still, if QBs are so hard to come by and teams feel pressure to take them as highly as possible in round 1 due to scarcity, why aren’t more teams willing to add a few in the late rounds to see if they hit? Surely there are worse 7th round picks than the names above, and if any of them hit, 31 other teams will be kicking themselves.
Indy: the draft no one’s talking about
Published by April 29th, 2007 in Indianapolis Colts. 0 CommentsIn theory, the defending champ should have a tough time reloading in the draft.
Apparently, the Indianapolis Colts didn’t get the message. Their day 1 draft added a starter and 3 players who should expect plenty of snaps in 2007.
Daymeion Hughes can’t imitate Champ Bailey, but he’s a polished player who will patrol his area in the Cover 2 physically and keep the ball out of the hands of receivers on short and intermediate routes. With the loss of 2 starting CBs, Indy needed a refill at the position. Spending a 3rd was a cheap way to do it.
Word is that the Colts wanted Craig Davis in round 1, but WR Anthony Gonzalez will probably play the role of Brandon Stokely even better than Stokely. Indy slot receivers are asked to run crisp intermediate patterns, and Gonzalez will occupy enough defensive attention to free up their starting widouts. That, or he’ll be more than ready to make the play himself. Gonzalez may not be a likely successor to Wayne or Harrison, but he’s ready to help them during this championship window, and that should take precedence.
In the trenches, both Ugoh and Pitcock will enter the rotation immediately, too. Adding depth up front is just icing on the cake for the loaded Colts.
Year after year, Bill Polian churns out excellent drafts. Along with New England, they deserve to be considered the class of NFL Draft braintrusts. Is it any coincidence they’re the best 2 teams in the league?
Favorite 6th Rounders
Published by April 29th, 2007 in 6th Round, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks. 0 Comments- Minnesota takes Rufus Alexander at 176 - His weaknesses are masked in a cover 2 and he could give them some much needed depth at LB
- NY Jets take Jacob Bender at 177 - Bender is already a road grader and he handled Adam Carriker when Nicholls State played Nebraska. He’ll need to be coached up in pass blocking because he was in an option offense, but he has the athleticism and natural size to handle that assignment
- Atlanta takes David Irons at 194 - Irons is a hardnosed CB who a team can feel comfortable plugging in as a dime back and he has the chance to surprise and start down the line
- Seattle takes Courtney Taylor at 197 - I never understood why he was projected in the 3rd/4th round, but this is about where this tough, physical WR who lacks outstanding tools is a solid pick to add depth to a team that just traded away their #1 WR
- Atlanta takes Doug Datish at 198 - He may never be starting quality, but Datish provides depth at 3 OL positions and he’s proven hiimself against Big Ten interior defensive linemen
- Atlanta takes Daren Stone at 203 - Stone is an ultraathletic safety who loves to hit. Atlanta’s lack of good safeties could give him some opportunity down the line
- New England takes Justise Hairston at 208 - Justise is a great kid who will do anything to help his team, exactly the kind of selfless player that fits in on the Patriots. Don’t be surprised if he makes the team and steals some backup touches from Sammy Morris
Patrick comes off the board in Round 7. He was starting to be a solid “Mr. Irrelevant” candidate as he continued to tumble downward, but Arizona caught him in Round 7.
What does this mean for Arizona? Well, Patrick can come in at either TE or Halfback and contribute to the passing game. I liked his upside in Round 3, so imagine my likings on his chances this late in the draft.
Round 7 picks don’t pose much threat to Pope, but don’t be surprised if he might start to move up the depth chart in August.
Congrats to the former Fightin’ Blue Hen.
