While we wait on Green Bay's first draft selection in the post-Favre era, I'd like to reflect back on some recent picks. Starting with the Titans.
With the 24th pick in the 2008 BP Mock Draft, the Tennessee Titans select...
Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
The Titans needed to draft a legitimate weapon for QB Vince Young to target in the passing attack, and who would be better than Young's former college teammate? Sweed slipped a bit due to a wrist injury that cut his senior season short and was re-aggravated at the Senior Bowl. However, when Sweed is healthy, he is arguably the most physically gifted receiver in this year's class. The 6-4, 217-pounder is worth the risk, in my opinion.
Strengths: Possesses rare size for a wide receiver. He's tall, well built and extremely fluid for his size. Instinctive route runner; finding soft spots in zone comes very naturally to him. He does an excellent job of finding the ball over his shoulder and adjusting to the deep ball. Displays soft hands and very good concentration. Knows how to use his body to shield defenders and uses his upper body subtly to gain separation from defenders when the ball is in the air (see: TD vs. Oklahoma in 2006). Very difficult to defend one-on-one inside the red zone. Displays good leaping ability, long arms and big, strong hands to challenge for the jump ball. Supremely confident in his ability. Shows good body control along the sideline. He has good quickness and change-of-direction skills for his size. He will consistently make the first defender miss after the catch and he also shows the ability to make sharp cuts in the open field after the catch.
Weaknesses: Lacks elite top-end speed. Also lacks ideal initial burst. Will struggle to get a clean release off the line of scrimmage, especially versus bigger corners that he can't simply overwhelm physically. His effort as a stalk blocker could be better. He isn't as physical as his size would indicate and he doesn't sustain his blocks as long as he can at times.
Overall: Sweed looks the part of a Pro Bowl NFL wide receiver physically. He lacks elite top-end speed and his effort as a blocker can improve. Otherwise, Sweed has everything NFL teams look for in a No. 1 wide receiver, including ideal size, athleticism and hands.
