WINNERS
These are the teams who I think helped themselves the most, along with their notable additions (arranged chronologically by their 1st pick)...
Oakland Raiders -- QB JaMarcus Russell (1st Rd /#1 overall), TE Zach Miller (2nd Rd /#38 overall), DE Quinton Moses (3rd Rd /#65), OT Mario Henderson (3rd Rd /#91 overall), WR Johnnie Lee Higgins (3rd Rd /#99 overall), RB Michael Bush (4th Rd /#100 overall), QB Josh McCown and WR Mike Williams (Trade with Detroit Lions for a 4th Rd pick /#105 overall)
Cleveland Browns -- OT Joe Thomas (1st Rd /#3 overall), QB Brady Quinn (1st Rd /#22 overall), CB Eric Wright (2nd Rd /#53 overall)
Atlanta Falcons -- DE Jamaal Anderson (1st Rd /#8 overall), OG Justin Blalock (2nd Rd /#39 overall), CB Chris Houston (2nd Rd /#41 overall)
San Francisco 49ers -- LB Patrick Willis (1st Rd /#11 overall), OT Joe Staley (1st Rd /#28 overall), WR Jason Hill (3rd Rd /#76 overall), DE Ray McDonald (3rd /#97 overall), DE Jay Moore (4th Rd /#104 overall)
LOSERS
Now for the teams that had a sub-par weekend (also in order of their 1st pick)...
Tampa Bay -- Not because of who they drafted, DE Gaines Adams (1st Rd /#4 overall) and OG Arron Sears (2nd Rd /#35 overall) are solid picks, but they failed because of who they didn't get. The Bucs should have been more aggresive in its trade talks with Detroit for WR Calvin Johnson.
Washington -- Safety LaRon Landry (1st Rd /#6 overall) will be a phenomenal player, but the Redskins needed a dynamic pass rusher and probably should have traded down, since they didn't have a pick in rounds 2, 3, and 4.
Green Bay -- The Packers must believe that Brett Favre can still carry this team because they gave him absolutely no help in this draft. DT Justin Harrell (1st Rd /#16 overall) should help shore up the run defense, but TE Greg Olsen would have been a great value at 16. The hole at RB was filled by 2nd round pick Brandon Jackson (#63 overall), who doesn't have the big play capability of Adrian Peterson or Marshawn Lynch. The Packers also failed to trade for Oakland WR Randy Moss, a move that would have really rejuvenated Favre.
Tennessee -- The Titans chose S Michael Griffin (1st Rd /#19 overall) even though several quality players at positions of need were still on the board. Remember, the loss of Pacman Jones resulted in a need at both CB and KR/PR. They also failed to land a quality WR for Vince Young (3rd round WR Paul Williams and 6th round WR Joel Filani instead of Bowe or Meachem), an elusive RB to complement LenDale White (2nd round pick Chris Henry was a terrible pick), and a pass rusher (Jarvis Moss or Anthony Spencer were still on the board at #19).
NY Giants -- CB Aaron Ross (1st Rd /#20 overall) and WR Steve Smith (2nd Rd /#51 overall) are excellent picks, but they should have taken OT Joe Staley at #20, and then looked for a CB in round 2. QB Eli Manning was under constant pressure last year, and the Giants lost tackles Bob Whitfield and Luke Petigout in the off-season.
Kansas City -- The Chiefs are another team that passed on Joe Staley, they opted for WR Dwayne Bowe (1st Rd /#23 overall) instead. The drop off at tackle is significant after Staley, and they could have landed a quality WR in round 2. They did well by adding two DTs (Turk McBride and Tank Tyler), but they failed to draft a CB (Daymeion Hughes was pick #95 overall by the Colts). They also drafted a kicker from fucla who was involved in a DUI that almost killed his female passenger.
Philadelphia -- The Eagles traded out of the 1st round (#26 overall) and made QB Kevin Kolb (2nd Rd /#36 overall) their first selection of the draft. There may be some durability questions surrounding QB Donovan McNabb, but they have enough depth behind him with A.J. Feely and the recently acquired Kelly Holcomb (via trade with Buffalo). This pick doesn't provide an instant impact and may send the wrong message to McNabb. There were plenty of quality players available at the 26th overall pick, so the decision to trade down on a developmental QB is very questionable.
5 comments:
What about the Cowboys? They didn't draft any help for their secondary, which is in dire need of a big playmaker. I guess they're hoping Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware bringing so much pressure on the opposing QB, that they can ignore their awful pass coverage...
At least they get Cleveland's 1st Round pick for next year. I'm sure that'll be a Top 3 pick considering how shitty and gay the Browns will be next season.
What about the Vikings? Adrian Peterson is a great addition to the team. People are predicting him to be a 1000 yd rusher within a few years. And I seriously thought Browns scored with Eric Wright.
Check out this Mike Williams video
http://www.raiders.com/Multimedia/Default.aspx?id=88#
I considered putting Dallas in the LOSERS category, but the guys they were possibly targeting on defense (CB Aaron Ross and FS Reggie Nelson) were gone when they picked at 22. That is why they traded down and did themselves some good by getting Cleveland's 2008 1st Round Pick, as rg3 said. Their only other option at #26 could have been OT Joe Staley, so you can't fault them for taking a guy the liked in Anthony Spencer. Average draft for the Cowboys, but not terrible.
Minnesota had a good draft, but I didn't put them in the WINNERS category because I think they should have taken Jarrett, Smith, or Jason Hill instead of Sidney Rice in round 2. I love their 3rd Round pick CB Marcus McCauley.
Great work on your re-cap thanks for linking it on CC.
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