Draft Report Card
Biggest hits, misses come at top of first round
Do you know what's the most unfair tactic used by we journalistas? Ripping some team's draft choice about five years after the fact by going down the roster of Pro Bowlers who were drafted later and saying, "Look who they could have had." A trick like that takes no brains and no work. All you need is a roster. Everybody does it. And I'm here to put a stop to it, do you hear?
No, folks. You rate the draft at the time and then you keep your trap shut. None of that hindsight stuff.
So I am here to offer my letter grades on the 2006 draft. I've had complaints in previous years that my grades were too soft, and I'm going to hear them again this year because I have too many B's and not enough C's and D's. Sorry. In my old age I'm turning gentle ... can you imagine?
A
BRONCOS: Two years ago Javon Walker caught 89 balls for the Packers. He wanted a long-term deal. Instead he got a torn ACL in his right knee. But wait, the story has a happy ending, because on draft day this year he was traded to Shanahan U., which also moved up to draft QB Jay Cutler, rated by some as the best of the Big Three. And how are these for extra weapons in the receiving game -- Tony Scheffler, a swift TE, Brandon Marshall, an oversized wideout? I mean there's going to be more firepower in the air over Denver than the RAF threw at the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain.
SAINTS: Congratulations for not blowing the Reggie Bush pick. You sent light into a city darkened by gloom. That gets you the A. The rest of the draft? Well, you'd better put some linemen in front of this dazzling runner, or it'll be another Dalton Hilliard story. The first time I saw Bush run I thought of two players he reminded me of, when they were in college: Marshall Faulk and Dalton Hilliard. Same rapid cuts and quick bursts. Scintillating runners. Faulk is headed for the Hall of Fame. Hilliard, believe me, a wonderful little back, had an eight-year career with the Saints, playing behind some miserable lines. His lifetime average per carry was 3.7, and he was only in the 4.0 range twice. So during the draft this time the Saints picked up a veteran center from Cleveland, Jeff Faine. That's good. The highest-drafted O-lineman they got was tackle Jahri Evans in the fourth round. Raw talent, everyone says. Would you prefer cooked talent?
CARDINALS: A day after the draft I got an e-mail from the Cardinals. One thousand, five hundred season tickets sold over the weekend to come watch this dynamic team in brand-new Cardinals Stadium, with its retractable roof and fully retractable grass playing surface. "How about retractable players?" says my hopelessly cynical wife, but those days are gone, because now they've got Matt Leinart and a really terrific stud guard from the USC offensive machine, Deuce Lutui, and Leonard Pope, a gigantic 6-7 1/2 TE who can really motor.
A-
The Jets instantly upgraded their offensive line when they drafted tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the No. 4 overall pick.
AP
JETS: They look like a pack of hooligans. They yell and scream and carry on, but believe me, the most sophisticated football fans in the country are the ones who attend the draft in NYC, and most of them are Jets fans. They make their views known at full room volume. When the club added to its roster of botched first-round choices by picking, say, Ron Faurot or Kyle Brady instead of Warren Sapp, they screamed and booed and hit each other over the head with rolled-up magazines, and fell to the floor in agony. When the team traded way up for Dewayne Robertson or drafted Chad Pennington late in the round, they cheered long and loud. So I was very curious to see how they'd react to the D'Brickashaw Ferguson choice on Saturday, after the tabloids had devoted the week to trying to whip the fans into an absolute frenzy for drafting Leinart ... perfect for New York ... the shame of the city if they pass him up ... and so forth. There were a few boos, but mostly cheers, and one guy pointed to his head. Smart! I told you they were sophisticated. So are the Jets, who are building from the ground up with the best tackle, and later in the round the best center, NickMangold. And they landed a very productive defensive player in Ohio State LB Anthony Schlegel, who I read hunts wild boars with a knife. Give the boar a knife, too, and I'd be impressed.
49ERS:Vernon Davis, the TE who ran the amazing 4.38, is going to catch a lot of deep balls down the seam, and if they can somehow keep Eric Johnson healthy, then they'll have a two-tight end offense that will prematurely age a lot of LBs and safeties. They're obviously giving young Alex Smith every opportunity to succeed, because they've added another flyer, tiny Brandon Williams, and to cap off one of the more athletic drafts in their history, they picked Manny Lawson, a LB who clocked a 4.43 at the combine workouts.
B+
RAMS: Here's the good news: CB Tye Hill, who won the Fastest Man at the Combine Workouts prize with his 4.30; Joe Klopfenstein, an intriguing, athletic TE prospect, Southern Cal's Dominique Byrd, still another TE (Huh? Are they really the Rams?); John Alston, a linebacker with combine numbers you can't believe...4.40 speed, a long jump of 11 feet, third longest of all the jumpers in the joint (there's a guy who's improved by leaps and bounds). Here's the not-so-good news: DT Claude Wroten, who has...and we'll give you the euphemisms for being a jerk ... "issues," "baggage," "character problems," "immaturity problems," etc. Tell me something. When you overcome your immaturity problems, are you eligible for adult entertainment? Just asking.
LIONS: I see Rod Marinelli, the new coach, surrounded by some good, tough guy types; LB Ernie Sims, a punishing hitter, ditto Nebraska SS DanielBullocks, and G Fred Matua from the USC line. And I really like the highly productive RB, Brian Calhoun, despite what the Pro Football Weekly special draft publication said about him. Here's what it said. Under Positives: "Runs hard and competes hard to pick up extra yardage." Under Negatives: "Not a powerful runner who is going to pick up much yardage after contact."
B
PACKERS: Well, they lost Javon Walker, but they traded like crazy and wound up with 12 picks, high number for the weekend. From this mob emerges premier LB A.J. Hawk, a skinny pass-blocking tackle named Daryn Colledge (how could his parents not have named him Joe?), a 98-catch wideout, Greg Jennings, and a fine instinctive ILB, Abdul Hodge.
RAVENS: You bet I like drafts that lead off with two big guys, DT Haloti Ngata 338 pounds, and they say he still has some growing to do (Did I ever tell you why I really like King Kong? Because there's a guy who won't take any guff from the airlines), and Chris Chester, an athletic center who pulls out and leads plays. The sleeper light is flashing -- P.J. Daniels, a gutty little former walk-on RB who you might say would give Jamal Lewis a run for it if you were foolish enough to believe that these competitions are anything close to being fair.
RAIDERS: Don't start resurrecting the Robert Gallery pick and telling me, "Look at all the great guys they could have had who were drafted after him; this club doesn't know what it's doing." It was hats in the air all around when they made that selection. I think their top choice, CB-S combination Michael Huff, is just fine, and I salute the gambling instinct that led them to such guys as LB Thomas Howard and T Paul McQuistan and G Kevin Boothe, all of whom are on the rise and could pay off big some day. Doesn't it seem like about a year ago that all us draftniks were projecting Vince Young to the Raiders?
PATRIOTS: At BillBelichick's post-draft press conference, someone got up the nerve to mention to the coach that he seemed to have problems at LB, and uh, CB, too, and yet the team's first five picks were offensive players, including a kicker. Doesn't this seem odd? ("Odd, waddya mean, odd?" From what movie? Said by James Westerfield, playing Big Mac, the hiring boss, in On the Waterfront). I mean, it seems to be an offensive draft, does it not? And I got a kick out of Belichick's reply -- "If you take a running back in the first round and then trade up to take a receiver in the second round, it's going to be hard to have a defensive draft." The runner: the highly sought after Laurence Maroney. The receiver: Chad Jackson, No. 1 on some people's board. Then there are two really interesting TEs, Dave Thomas and Garrett Mills. And an astute observer of this column, someone who's still awake, that is, will note that I gave the Bears a low grade for doing the same thing, drafting to strength, not need. So where's the fairness, huh? Look, friend, I learned a long time ago you simply do not second-guess these babies up in Foxboro. They know what they're doing.
PANTHERS: I like need drafts. The stirring DeAngelo Williams to fortify the pounding running game, Richard Marshall, a big league corner to battle ReggieHoward for the nickel back spot, and James Anderson, a highly athletic LB, to compete for the vacancy outside.
STEELERS: Same deal here. Big needs were at WR for the departed Antwaan Randle El and FS for the loss of Chris Hope. So the first two drafts were Santonio Holmes, one of the top two or three wideouts, and FS Anthony Smith, not a burner but a guy with a great instinctive feel for the game.
B-
BUCCANEERS: As a pair, I like choices Nos. 3 and 4 better than Nos. 1 and 2. First choice Davin Joseph is a top-grade guard, but the second pick, T Jeremy Trueblood, is a 6-8 string bean who was tied for sixth weakest among the 44 linemen who participated in the combine's grunt and heave, a.k.a. bench press. Third-round WR Maurice Stovall is a big guy who I predict will really be productive in this offense, and CB Alan Zamaitis (fourth round) is made for MonteKiffin's cover-two defense.
BENGALS: They wanted a Whitner and settled for a Whitworth. Donte Whitner, the safety, was long gone when they drafted. Andrew Whitworth is a second-round tackle. (This lame attempt at humor merely points out how desperately I need the upcoming vacation, which begins next week. Full details of same will be furnished in June.) This Whitworth guy, by the way, is quite a character. Has never missed a practice due to injury. Has 52 straight starts, which the NCAA is claiming as one short of its all-time record. Hey, NCAA! Ever hear of an end named Barney Poole? Made All-America for both Ole Miss and the Blanchard-Davis West Point teams. Had a full career for each school, which you could do, uh, sort of, during the World War II era. I'm almost forgetting the top pick, CB Johnathon Joseph, close to the best on the board, second fastest at the combine at 4.31.
BROWNS: This is going to be interesting. Saturation bombing at the linebacker level. Their top draft pick was edge pass rusher Kamerion Wimbley; second-round choice D'Quell Jackson, was rated the top guy inside; Leon Williams, still another ILB, in the fourth round. Bill Parcells used to say that you could never have enough linebackers. And guess whom Romeo Crennel coached under when he was learning the professional game?
CHIEFS:Herman Edwards wound up with some really fine people. First-round pick DE Tamba Hali miraculously escaped the horrors of war-torn Liberia. Third-rounder QB Brodie Croyle grew up at his father's ranch for abused children, and still spends a great deal of time there. Second-round choice SS Bernard Pollard is a fine leader and a very tough hitter. Oh yes, they can all play, too.
SEAHAWKS: Very good players at the top. CB Kelly Jennings is a competent man-to-man cover guy. Think of the Packers' Aaron Kampman and you've got a fix on DE Darryl Tapp, who gave D'Brickashaw Ferguson all he could handle last season. Third-round choice Rob Sims shot way up on the board after great workouts, and David Kirtman, the first fullback taken, is also a guy who can catch.
B-/C+
TITANS: It's a nebulous, wishy-washy type of grade because they've sent it all in on Vince Young and LenDale White, and they could both either make it big (kindly raise this grade to A over A+ if this happens) or struggle in some way. Sorry, but I can't predict. I leave that to the guys on TV.
C+
EAGLES: Everybody loves Philly's draft more than I do. Top pick Brodrick Bunkley? Fine. No problem there. But the second-round choice, WinstonJustice, simply is not my cup of tea. Workout warrior who plays OK at times, not so OK at other times. Plus he pulled some stuff at USC that, well, they treated fairly lightly because of immaturity or something, whereas if your kid or mine did it, he might be serving time. Third-round choice LB Chris Gocong has great workout numbers, but he'll be learning a new position. Does this sound like a high grade draft? Maybe I'm being too rough, but coming after the problems they had last year ... to go find a new problem child just rubs me slightly wrong.
COWBOYS: I'm real smart, see. When I talked to Bill Parcells and tactfully asked him, "Who are you gonna draft?" and he replied, "You know the kind of guys I like," I knew right away that he loves mammoth LBs, and 256-pound Bobby Carpenter was the biggest one there, so who did I give him? A wideout, naturally. Best available athlete. A pick for value. Add any other cliché that comes to mind. OK, Carpenter gives him that muscle in the middle. The next choice, Notre Dame TE Anthony Fasano, is, hopefully, a Mark Bavaro reincarnation, or something close to it. After that? Not a whole lot that thrills me.
CHARGERS: This is another situation where, if the gamble pays off (CB Antonio Cromartie with only one start, coming in), the grade will be significantly raised. They wanted a tackle and they found a 6-8 work in progress, MarcusMcNeill. Oh yes, they also got veteran Rams end Brandon Manumaleuna. You know something? I think this grade is too low. What the hell, I'll let it ride and see how Cromartie does.
VIKINGS: I hear good and bad things about first round LB Chad Greenway. The scouts who like him say he's very active and productive. The ones who don't say that he misses too many tackles, and one guy told me, "I don't think he sees what's in front of him." Well, for God's sake, don't let him cross any streets by himself. But I do like CB Cedric Griffin better than anyone else does, especially since I saw him make that dazzling interception in the Senior Bowl. They traded up two spots to get QB Tavaris Jackson in the second round, and you never know what riches you can reap at this position.
C
COLTS:Tony Dungy very honestly said before the draft that RB Joseph Addai is a very nice person, steady, kind of unspectacular, but he stands up when a lady enters the room and speaks when spoken to. His only failing is that he's not Laurence Maroney, whom the coach really wanted. In the second round he took one of the smallest people in the draft, 5-7 1/2 CB Tim Jennings, and I know why he did it...to make a couple of 5-8's in his secondary, Jason David and Bob Sanders, feel like giants.
JAGUARS: Top draft Marcedes Lewis is a tall, athletic TE with average speed. His UCLA teammate, though, is my favorite Jaguars pick, Maurice Drew, a fiery little runner and a great return man. No. 3, LB Clint Ingram, has some fine workout numbers.
DOLPHINS: They needed help in their deep secondary, they got it with Jason Allen, the draft's best FS. WR Derek Hagan has ability but he drops the ball. Third-round pick T Joe Toledo has a great name. Wasn't he in Guys and Dolls? Or was that Nathan Detroit?
BILLS: Bad offense last year, but I guess the defense was worse, so that side of the ball got the first five picks. SS Donte Whitner is a good player, but he projected lower than the eighth overall pick. Ditto DT John McCargo at No. 26. But Buffalo will come out of this draft well fortified in the secondary, with CB Ashton Youboty and FS Ko Simpson.
C-
FALCONS: How do we play this? Do we count ex-Jets DE John Abraham as part of the draft, because he did cost the Falcons a No. 1? Well, I'm sort of counting him, if you can figure that one out. On the rookie front, though, it's kind of lean pickings. At one time Jimmy Williams was regarded by some as the draft's best CB, but his unpredictable attitude became such a problem that he fell out of the first round. And into the laps of the Falcons.
GIANTS: Their first-round choice, Mathias Kiwanuka, will go into camp as the fourth DE, joining the crowd at the team's strongest position. OK, value, etc., plus eventual replacement for Michael Strahan, assuming the rookie gains in bulk and strength. I like their next choice, though, little Sinorice Moss, a dynamic longball receiver and punt returner, who kind of fell to them.
D
BEARS: Offense finished 29th, defense second last year, so we draft for defense, boys, and let those smart-ass writers go figure it out on their own. Oh, is that so? Is that so? Well, we'll show you. D, how's that? Take that home to your parents. "You sure you don't want to go to bed and finish this tomorrow?" the Redhead says. Nah, I'm rolling along just fine. I honestly think that top draft Danieal Manning from Abilene Christian is a tough kid from a small program, also a guy with a very interesting way of spelling his first name. Let's see, DT Dusty Dvoracek can really fight the double team but not off the field, where he had to enroll in an anger management program. Defensive end Mark Anderson vertically jumped 42 inches (the high mark) at the combine, so don't leave any pie to cool on your windowsill if this guy's walking by. "Admit it, you're bitter because their general manager didn't return your phone calls, aren't you?" says the Flaming Redhead. Yeah, OK, I admit it. Next case.
REDSKINS: This is not really fair. The No. 1 draft went for QB Jason Campbell last year, and the personnel guys can't help it if Joe Gibbs didn't play him. They traded up to get LB Rocky McIntosh high in the second round. A good move. He's active and instinctive.
TEXANS: I'm not kidding. There are scouts who don't like DE Mario Williams because they say he takes a play off every now and then. The Reggie Bush thing will be a heavy stone they'll drag around from year to year. And the frosting on the cake was owner Bob McNair telling the New York press that it wasn't the fact that they couldn't sign Bush as much as a desire to draft for defense. Respectfully, sir, may I remind you that you were not addressing town folks. This was The Apple. Ah, why go on? He knows, we know, everyone knows, this was a bum deal all around for the folks in Houston.
