Draft weekend ...

[Jersey Devil]

Ah, my favorite weekend of the year. Yes, better than Superbowl weekend, better than opening weekend! Does anybody watch the complete draft on TV / do anything special on draft day? It really ticks me off, because as much as love the quality of the ESPN broadcast, some part of my schedule always conflicts. This year I have to take stupid placement tests for college :-(

Still, I can't wait for Saturday!

[iFroggy]

I can't wait either. I'd like to see the Dolphins take Brees. :)

[Nate]

Originally posted by iFroggy
I can't wait either. I'd like to see the Dolphins take Brees.Sounds good to me. I've always sorta liked Miami anyway, especially because I liked Marino. Would be a good club for him to join.

[Marc]

I heard my Packers would trade Dorsey Levens and one of their lower first round picks for a really high pick. I hope so!

[NickHammy]

I heard it would be the Browns they trade with. Good for me. The Browns need experienced players as well as some good draft picks.

[iFroggy]

I heard that if the Pack keeps their pick they'll take Santana Moss if he is available. I like him a lot.

[Marc]

Originally posted by iFroggy
I heard that if the Pack keeps their pick they'll take Santana Moss if he is available. I like him a lot.
Actually, most sites I've read have picked the Pack to take a big defensive lineman to stop the run, or possibly a receiver like Moss, so you never know. Maybe Santana will be as good as Randy (Moss). :D

Everyone else, post who you think your team should draft and what you think will happen.

[NickHammy]

I think that Cleveland needs to get some offense. I've heard that they might try to get some more defensemen but what they really need is some offense so they can put some points on the board.

[PeterDewar]

I just want to see Brees taken near the top, Miami would be nice. ESPN was saying Falcons (5th Overall). Anywhere in the top half would be great.

They all complain about his size, well if its such a big deal then how'd he go through high school (4 years) undefeated and take Purdue to the Rose Bowl. So people say the linemen are bigger in the NFL, they weren't that big in college, they got bigger. Therefore, why couldn't Drew "get bigger" if its nessasary.

[iFroggy]

I really don't think Brees will be taken in any of the first 16 picks. With Miami, we are looking for a long term solution and Fiedler surely isn't it.

[H. Tiemann Jr.]

Originally posted by iFroggy
I can't wait either. I'd like to see the Dolphins take Brees. :)

I would love to see Brees in a Cowboy's uniform. But, I don't think it is going to happen :(

[Marc]

So who do you guys think will be picked first?

Tom Baker, are you alive? :)

[NickHammy]

Uhhhhhh....
Vick will be the number one pick...I'd be surprised if he wasn't.

I can't watch it b/c I have two tennis matches back-to-back in Cicinati.(I live in Columbus)

[iFroggy]

I also think it will be Michael Vick. You simply CANNOT take anyone else. I believe it would be foolish. If they are thinking of taking someone else, they should trade the pick. But, I think that they do want Vick.

[PeterDewar]

Originally posted by iFroggy
If they are thinking of taking someone else, they should trade the pick. But, I think that they do want Vick.

Well you got it Marc, there goes the pick!

[iFroggy]

I'm not Marc! :redhot: :D

[Nate]

LOL! How can you mix up Marc and Patrick? ;)

[iFroggy]

It was an honest mistake I'm sure. :)

[Marc]

So, what did you guys think of it so far? Vick being picked first wasn't a surprise... good move by the Falcons. Kind of interesting how valuable OT's are, they were picked a lot in the mid-first round.

[Jersey Devil]

Here are the Day One picks:

FIRST ROUND
-----------
1(1) Atlanta (From San Diego) Michael Vick QB VIRGINIA TECH
2(2) Arizona Leonard Davis OT TEXAS
3(3) Cleveland Gerard Warren DT FLORIDA
4(4) Cincinnati Justin Smith DE MISSOURI
5(5) San Diego (From Atlanta) LaDainian Tomlinson RB TEXAS CHRISTIAN
6(6) New England Richard Seymour DL GEORGIA
7(7) San Francisco (From Dallas through Seattle) Andre Carter DE CALIFORNIA
8(8) Chicago David Terrell WR MICHIGAN
9(9) Seattle (From San Francisco) Koren Robinson WR NORTH CAROLINA STATE
10(10) Green Bay (From Seattle) Jamal Reynolds DE FLORIDA STATE
11(11) Carolina Dan Morgan LB MIAMI (FLA.)
12(12) St. Louis (From Kansas City) Damione Lewis DT MIAMI (FLA.)
13(13) Jacksonville Marcus Stroud DT GEORGIA
14(14) Tampa Bay (From Buffalo) Kenyatta Walker OT FLORIDA
15(15) Washington Rod Gardner WR CLEMSON
16(16) NY Jets (From Pittsburgh) Santana Moss WR MIAMI (FLA.)
17(17) Seattle (From Green Bay) Steve Hutchinson OG MICHIGAN
18(18) Detroit Jeff Backus OT MICHIGAN
19(19) Pittsburgh (From NY Jets) Casey Hampton DT TEXAS
20(20) St. Louis Adam Archuleta S ARIZONA STATE
21(21) Buffalo (From Tampa Bay) Nate Clements CB OHIO STATE
22(22) NY Giants (From Indianapolis) Will Allen CB SYRACUSE
23(23) New Orleans Deuce McAllister RB MISSISSIPPI
24(24) Denver Willie Middlebrooks CB MINNESOTA
25(25) Philadelphia Freddie Mitchell WR UCLA
26(26) Miami Jamar Fletcher CB WISCONSIN
27(27) Minnesota Michael Bennett RB WISCONSIN
28(28) Oakland Derrick Gibson S FLORIDA STATE
29(29) St. Louis (From Tennessee) Ryan Pickett DT OHIO STATE
30(30) Indianapolis (From NY Giants) Reggie Wayne WR MIAMI (FLA.)
31(31) Baltimore Todd Heap TE ARIZONA STATE

SECOND ROUND
------------
1(32) San Diego Drew Brees QB PURDUE
2(33) Cleveland Quincy Morgan WR KANSAS STATE
3(34) Arizona Kyle Vanden Bosch DE NEBRASKA
4(35) Atlanta Alge Crumpler TE NORTH CAROLINA
5(36) Cincinnati Chad Johnson WR OREGON STATE
6(37) Indianapolis (From Dallas) Idrees Bashir S MEMPHIS
7(38) Chicago Anthony Thomas RB MICHIGAN
8(39) Pittsburgh (From New England) Kendrell Bell LB GEORGIA
9(40) Seattle Ken Lucas CB MISSISSIPPI
10(41) Green Bay (From San Francisco) Robert Ferguson WR TEXAS A&M
11(42) St. Louis (From Kansas City) Tommy Polley LB FLORIDA STATE
12(43) Jacksonville Maurice Williams OT MICHIGAN
13(44) Carolina Kris Jenkins DT MARYLAND
14(45) Washington Fred Smoot CB MISSISSIPPI STATE
15(46) Buffalo Aaron Schobel DE TEXAS CHRISTIAN
16(47) San Francisco (From Green Bay) Jamie Winborn LB VANDERBILT
17(48) New England (From Detroit) Matt Light OT PURDUE
18(49) NY Jets LaMont Jordan RB MARYLAND
19(50) Detroit (From Pittsburgh through New England) Dominic Raiola C NEBRASKA
20(51) Denver (From Tampa Bay through Buffalo) Paul Toviessi DE MARSHALL
21(52) Miami (From Indianapolis through Dallas) Chris Chambers WR WISCONSIN
22(53) Dallas (From New Orleans) Quincy Carter QB GEORGIA
23(54) Arizona (From St. Louis) Michael Stone CB MEMPHIS
24(55) Philadelphia Quinton Caver LB ARKANSAS
25(56) Dallas (From Miami) Tony Dixon S ALABAMA
26(57) Minnesota Willie Howard DT STANFORD
27(58) Buffalo (From Denver) Travis Henry RB TENNESSEE
28(59) Oakland Marques Tuiasosopo QB WASHINGTON
29(60) Tennessee Andre Dyson CB UTAH
30(61) Detroit (From NY Giants) Shaun Rogers DT TEXAS
31(62) Baltimore Gary Baxter CB BAYLOR

THIRD ROUND
-----------
1(63) Philadelphia (From San Diego) Derrick Burgess DE MISSISSIPPI
2(64) Arizona Adrian Wilson S NORTH CAROLINA STATE
3(65) Cleveland James Jackson RB MIAMI (FLA.)
4(66) Cincinnati Sean Brewer TE SAN JOSE STATE
5(67) San Diego (From Atlanta) Tay Cody CB FLORIDA STATE
6(68) Chicago Mike Gandy OG NOTRE DAME
7(69) Minnesota (From New England) Eric Kelly CB KENTUCKY
8(70) New Orleans (From Dallas) Sedrick Hodge LB NORTH CAROLINA
9(71) Green Bay (From San Francisco) Bhawoh Jue CB PENN STATE
10(72) Green Bay (From Seattle) Torrance Marshall LB OKLAHOMA
11(73) Jacksonville Eric Westmoreland LB TENNESSEE
12(74) Carolina Stevonne Smith WR UTAH
13(75) Kansas City Eric Downing DT SYRACUSE
14(76) Buffalo Ron Edwards NT TEXAS A&M
15(77) Kansas City (From Washington) Marvin Minnis WR FLORIDA STATE
16(78) NY Giants (From Detroit) Will Peterson CB WESTERN ILLINOIS
17(79) NY Jets Kareem McKenzie OT PENN STATE
18(80) San Francisco (From Green Bay) Kevan Barlow RB PITTSBURGH
19(81) New Orleans (From Indianapolis through Dallas) Kenny Smith DL ALABAMA
20(82) Seattle (From New Orleans through Green Bay and San Francisco) Heath Evans FB AUBURN
21(83) St. Louis Brian Allen LB FLORIDA STATE
22(84) Tampa Bay Dwight Smith CB AKRON
23(85) Miami Travis Minor RB FLORIDA STATE
24(86) New England (From Minnesota) Brock Williams CB NOTRE DAME
25(87) Denver Reggie Hayward DE IOWA STATE
26(88) Miami (From Philadelphia) Morlon Greenwood LB SYRACUSE
27(89) Oakland DeLawrence Grant DE OREGON STATE
28(90) Tennessee Shad Meier TE KANSAS STATE
29(91) Indianapolis (From NY Giants) Cory Bird S VIRGINIA TECH
30(92) Baltimore Casey Rabach OL WISCONSIN
31(93) Dallas (Compensatory Selection) Willie Blade DT MISSISSIPPI STATE
32(94) Jacksonville (Compensatory Selection) James Boyd S PENN STATE
33(95) Buffalo (Compensatory Selection) Jonas Jennings OL GEORGIA


Can I get your thoughts on the first day? Which picks suprised you? Which teams had a great draft so far? Which drafts look a little iffy?

[Nate]

Well, I'm pretty disapointed that Drew Brees didn't go in the first round, but at least he was the first pick in round 2. Man...now I have to start liking the Chargers...:D

[iFroggy]

Well, I think my Dolphins did a pretty good/decent job. No really bad picks.

I was wanting them to take Brees in the first round though. They made some trades and as it currently stands they will have 9 total picks.

They got a good cornerback in Jamar Fletcher - http://nfldraft.espn.go.com/nfldraft/tracker/player?id=419 - he will add more depth to our secondary which already contains two of the best CBs in the NFL.

Then in the 2nd, we traded up to get Chris Chambers - http://nfldraft.espn.go.com/nfldraft/tracker/player?id=38 . I like this deal, but it is a risk. None the less, its worth the risk.

Then we took Travis Minor - http://nfldraft.espn.go.com/nfldraft/tracker/player?id=508 - who looks to be a situational back in the NFL.

Then Marlon Greenwood, who looks like a decent LB that will add depth and to our linebackers. http://nfldraft.espn.go.com/nfldraft/tracker/player?id=244

[PeterDewar]

iFroggy, very much an honest mistake on my behalf. I have no idea how I got you two mixed up! LOL

At any rate, I was rather surprised that Bress wasn't taken until the 2nd round, but now we can say he was a #1 pick (in the 2nd round). But if you put it into perspective, he was still the 2nd QB taken in the draft, that just means QBs weren't in HIGH demand this year I guess.

I was going to have to like the Chargers now anyway because of Flutie playing there, now with Brees too I'm going to have to really watch them now!

[iFroggy]

I wrote an article for my site about the draft and gave each team a grade.

http://www.esportssection.com/articles/patrickokeefe9.php (No, I'm not spamming... I'll post what the article says here so you don't have to go to the link! :P) lol


Grading the NFL Draft
By Patrick O'Keefe
Copyright 2001 eSportsSection

The NFL Draft has come and gone. I have decided to rate the teams based on how they did in the draft. So, lets see how your team did:

San Diego Chargers A+

Notable Picks: LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees.
They did a great job and got what they wanted. The addition of Brees was a great move and a steal at that point in the draft. Although, they might regret passing on Vick... only time will tell.

Atlanta Falcons A

Notable Picks: Michael Vick.
What can I say? They got the best athlete in the draft.

Seattle Seahawks A

Notable Picks: Koren Robertson, Steve Hutchinson and Josh Booty.
They made a great trade and picked up star power guys. I think that they did an awesome job and Koren Robertson should help them greatly at wide receiver.

Miami Dolphins A-

Notable Picks: Jamar Fletcher, Chris Chambers and Josh Heupel.
They made some good moves including moving up to take Chambers in the 2nd. However, taking Brees with their 1st round pick may have been a good idea, we'll see how Heupel pans out.

Cincinnati Bengals A-

Notable Picks: Justin Smith and Chad Johnson.
Maybe, just maybe, they will finally turn the corner and make some noise. They have had high pick after high pick year after year. Solid job this year.

New York Giants A-

Notable Picks: Will Allen, Cedric Scott and Jesse Palmer.
They made the most of it and did a great job. Scott was a bargain and Jeese Palmer could possibly be their QB of the future.

Carolina Panthers A-

Notable Picks: Dan Morgan and Chris Weinke.
They did a nice job. Dan Morgan should help them out greatly.

Saint Louis Rams A-

Notable Picks: Damione Lewis and Adam Archuleta.
They used their picks to work on their needs. They traded their additional QB in Trent Green to create extra picks. All around good job.

New Orleans Saints A-

Notable Picks: Deuce McCallister.
Although they didn't need him, they might have gotten the steal of the draft in Deuce McCallister.

Oakland Raiders B+

Notable Picks: Derrick Gibson, Marques Tuiasosopo and Ken Yon Rambo.
For what they had to work with, they had an excellent draft. Ken Yon Rambo was a steal in the 7th round.

Cleveland Browns B+

Notable Picks: Gerald Warren.
Besides Warren, there really wasn't a whole lot else to say. For quantity... they get this grade.

Washington Redskins B+

Notable Picks: Rod Gardner and Fred Smoot.
Excellent choices for the little picks that they had. With aging corners in Deion Sanders and Darrell Green, the pick of Smoot possibly sets up a future tandem of Fred Smoot and Champ Bailey.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers B+

Notable Picks: Kenyatta Walker.
The Walker pick was a nice one, he will add a lot to their team.

New England Patriots B+

Notable Picks: Richard Seymour.
They didn't seem to make the most of their picks, but they did make a few solid ones. For sheer quantity, they get this grade.

Buffalo Bills B

Notable Picks: Nate Clements and Aaron Schobel.
Could be better, could be worse. Got one of the Top 3 DBs in the draft in Clements.

Pittsburgh Steelers B

Notable Picks: Casey Hampton and Kendrell Bell.
They put the focus on defense this year and did pretty well.

Chicago Bears B

Notable Picks: David Terrell.
With the except of the Terrell pick, the Bears were pretty quiet.

San Francisco 49ers B

Notable Picks: Andre Carter.
Nothing much to say, they did a solid job.

Kansas City Chiefs B

Notable Picks: N/A.
They didn't get any real notable guys, but they did acquire Trent Green, which is something that they needed to do.

Dallas Cowboys B

Notable Picks: Quincy Carter.
For what they had to work with, I think they did very well.

Arizona Cardinals B

Notable Picks: Leonard Davis and Bill Gramatica.
They did alright, hopefully they start winning, I am sick of them having high picks.

Minnesota Vikings B

Notable Picks: Michael Bennett.
I liked their pick of Bennett, we'll see how the rest pan out.

New York Jets B-

Notable Picks: Santana Moss.
They didn't have much to work with, but I really like their pick of Santana Moss. It should make for a great duo of Chrebet and Moss.

Philadelphia Eagles B-

Notable Picks: Freddie Mitchell.
They did okay. Mitchell should be a great target for quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Green Bay Packers B-

Notable Picks: Jamal Reynolds.
They did alright, nothing too spectacular.

Baltimore Ravens B-

Notable Picks: Todd Heap.
They really did not have much to work with at all, however, Heap was a good value pick.

Detroit Lions B-

Notable Picks: Jeff Backus.
Brees would have been a good pick for them... they aren't going to need a guy to block if the QB can't throw. Raiola was a nice find.

Jacksonville Jaguars B-

Notable Picks: Marcus Stroud.
They did not make much of their picks.

Indianapolis Colts B-

Notable Picks: Reggie Wayne.
They were pretty quiet, but got a viable player to stand opposite of Marvin Harrison in the receiving core.

Denver Broncos C+

Notable Picks: Willie Middlebrooks.
Besides Middlebrooks, they didn't do too much and didn't have that many picks.

Tennessee Titans C

Notable Picks: N/A
Not very much happening here. They didn't pick until late in the 2nd.

[Jackson]

I can't see how you could say Josh Booty was a notable pick and leave Snoop Minnis off. Otherwise, pretty good analysis.

[Dre2g]

I stayed home all weekend and watched the whole entire draft. It was a pretty interesting draft. Some shocking picks like the Saints picking Duece Mcallister. That's really sending a strong message to Ricky Williams. I was also a little surprised that Drew Brees was passed on until the later rounds. I think he will do very well in the NFL.