OP
OP
Flagg the Wanderer
Mourning Algernon
Okay, going through one at a time, I like:
Bengals:
Gresham, Shipley, and Briscoe reshape Palmer's arsenal immediately, and on the other side of the ball I'm not a huge Dunlap fan but he was a solid risk/reward there and Ghee grew on me late.
Browns:
...and that's taking into account that I thought Haden was way overrated and was a late 1st/early 2nd quality CB. Hardesty at the end of 2 was a great pick (and fits their team), and Geathers and Mitchell in the 6th both have enormous potential for very little risk at that point.
Cowboys:
Dez Bryant move was beautiful, and his off-field stuff is overrated. Sean Lee was so far under the radar I'd forgotten that he was draftable. Ansah was a nice pick up in the 4th, could play for them.
Chiefs:
I'm not a huge Berry fan, but McCluster, Arenas, Asamoah, and Meoaki were all on my wish list. I'd have traded down from #5 and the early 2nd and taken Thomas and McCluster later on, but it's hard to argue with the talent they landed overall.
Patriots (with more detail):
McCourty was a solid value: he was consistantly rated as the 2nd-4th CB, and was taken 3rd, with 2 more taken within 5 picks of him, so it's hard to argue too much about it. We need to remember that 3 CBs are basically starters in the modern game. Butler, Bodden, and McCourty are a very nice core that is now locked up for 4 years.
Gronk was no surprise - great player, great value, nice (if obvious) move to leapfrog Baltimore to get him. Cunningham was a surprise (and was a bit of a reach), but is steady, and while I'm not a Spikes fan, 62 wasn't bad value.
Price? Great value and upside, though not your typical "Patriots" pick for sure. But he's tallish, reasonably strong, has solid hands, and is both fast (4.4) and quick (#4 3 cone time for WRs). Meh+
Trading a 3rd for a 2nd next year?
A pick in every round, with an extra 1, 2, and 6 for 2011. Love it.
Day 3 was nice: Hernandez and Mesko were needs and very talented players, highly ranked at their position. I preferred Pitta, but Hernandez is a better blocker, and he was the NCAA's top TE for a reason. Then a bunch of meat for the lines (with Deaderick as a system-perfect standout in my mind, and Larsen a steal there - typically the 3rd ranked center) and overachiever Zac Robinson.
Raiders:
Finally the Raiders get it right: take the sure things with your early picks, and the upside flyers later. Even a year ago OT Campbell would have been a Raider before the end of round 2. This year Al was able to keep it in his pants for both both he and fellow combine star Jacoby Ford until round 4. McClain is a beast, Houston was underrated, and Veldheer and Campbell both have a solid chance of panning out. Picking up Jason Campbell was stellar as well.
49ers:
Holy. Crap. Any ****ing doubt what the plan is in San Francisco this year? Not one but TWO nasty run blocking OLmen in the first round (to add to Joe Staley, I might add) to block for Frank Gore, and then pick up Anthony Dixon in round 6?!?!?!? Those namby pamby finesse defenses in the NFC West better fasten on their jock straps when they play the 9ers this year (and for the next several.) Plus, I was never on the Taylor Mays bandwagon (talented, but overrated through and through), but he's certainly a value pick in the 2nd half of round 2, and he gets to play against Pete Carroll who snubbed him twice a year. Can you say talent meets motivation?
Seattle:
The clearest winner. Okung is a stud. Not to the extent of some recent OL studs, but he'll anchor that line. Earl Thomas is going to make the young guns (Leinart, Alex Smith, and Sam Bradford) worry for a long time. Golden Tate will be a great weapon. Konz is a freak that Petey will have fun using in a variety of ways. Picking up Leon Washington and LenDale White for peanuts reinvents their running game. And don't overlook DT Vickerson, either. He had worked his way into the starting lineup, and will give Seattle some nice depth at the position, beef to clear the road for their stellar developing 1-2 LB punch of Tatupu and Curry. This team is significantly better today than on Thursday morning.
Tampa:
The rest of their draft could have been waterboys, but as much as I didn't like either player overmuch individually, drafting McCoy and Price 1/2 like that is a total reinvention of the team. They are going to collapse pockets and stop the run. I still say McCoy was overrated, but make no mistake - this is a new team with that look. They're still bad, with plenty of holes, but this is an interesting turn.
Bengals:
Gresham, Shipley, and Briscoe reshape Palmer's arsenal immediately, and on the other side of the ball I'm not a huge Dunlap fan but he was a solid risk/reward there and Ghee grew on me late.
Browns:
...and that's taking into account that I thought Haden was way overrated and was a late 1st/early 2nd quality CB. Hardesty at the end of 2 was a great pick (and fits their team), and Geathers and Mitchell in the 6th both have enormous potential for very little risk at that point.
Cowboys:
Dez Bryant move was beautiful, and his off-field stuff is overrated. Sean Lee was so far under the radar I'd forgotten that he was draftable. Ansah was a nice pick up in the 4th, could play for them.
Chiefs:
I'm not a huge Berry fan, but McCluster, Arenas, Asamoah, and Meoaki were all on my wish list. I'd have traded down from #5 and the early 2nd and taken Thomas and McCluster later on, but it's hard to argue with the talent they landed overall.
Patriots (with more detail):
McCourty was a solid value: he was consistantly rated as the 2nd-4th CB, and was taken 3rd, with 2 more taken within 5 picks of him, so it's hard to argue too much about it. We need to remember that 3 CBs are basically starters in the modern game. Butler, Bodden, and McCourty are a very nice core that is now locked up for 4 years.
Gronk was no surprise - great player, great value, nice (if obvious) move to leapfrog Baltimore to get him. Cunningham was a surprise (and was a bit of a reach), but is steady, and while I'm not a Spikes fan, 62 wasn't bad value.
Price? Great value and upside, though not your typical "Patriots" pick for sure. But he's tallish, reasonably strong, has solid hands, and is both fast (4.4) and quick (#4 3 cone time for WRs). Meh+
Trading a 3rd for a 2nd next year?
A pick in every round, with an extra 1, 2, and 6 for 2011. Love it.
Day 3 was nice: Hernandez and Mesko were needs and very talented players, highly ranked at their position. I preferred Pitta, but Hernandez is a better blocker, and he was the NCAA's top TE for a reason. Then a bunch of meat for the lines (with Deaderick as a system-perfect standout in my mind, and Larsen a steal there - typically the 3rd ranked center) and overachiever Zac Robinson.
Raiders:
Finally the Raiders get it right: take the sure things with your early picks, and the upside flyers later. Even a year ago OT Campbell would have been a Raider before the end of round 2. This year Al was able to keep it in his pants for both both he and fellow combine star Jacoby Ford until round 4. McClain is a beast, Houston was underrated, and Veldheer and Campbell both have a solid chance of panning out. Picking up Jason Campbell was stellar as well.
49ers:
Holy. Crap. Any ****ing doubt what the plan is in San Francisco this year? Not one but TWO nasty run blocking OLmen in the first round (to add to Joe Staley, I might add) to block for Frank Gore, and then pick up Anthony Dixon in round 6?!?!?!? Those namby pamby finesse defenses in the NFC West better fasten on their jock straps when they play the 9ers this year (and for the next several.) Plus, I was never on the Taylor Mays bandwagon (talented, but overrated through and through), but he's certainly a value pick in the 2nd half of round 2, and he gets to play against Pete Carroll who snubbed him twice a year. Can you say talent meets motivation?
Seattle:
The clearest winner. Okung is a stud. Not to the extent of some recent OL studs, but he'll anchor that line. Earl Thomas is going to make the young guns (Leinart, Alex Smith, and Sam Bradford) worry for a long time. Golden Tate will be a great weapon. Konz is a freak that Petey will have fun using in a variety of ways. Picking up Leon Washington and LenDale White for peanuts reinvents their running game. And don't overlook DT Vickerson, either. He had worked his way into the starting lineup, and will give Seattle some nice depth at the position, beef to clear the road for their stellar developing 1-2 LB punch of Tatupu and Curry. This team is significantly better today than on Thursday morning.
Tampa:
The rest of their draft could have been waterboys, but as much as I didn't like either player overmuch individually, drafting McCoy and Price 1/2 like that is a total reinvention of the team. They are going to collapse pockets and stop the run. I still say McCoy was overrated, but make no mistake - this is a new team with that look. They're still bad, with plenty of holes, but this is an interesting turn.
) is going to be a good player for Seattle. Ravens did very well. Pats did very well, getting two of the top three TEs in the draft and getting some help on the D.
