The NFL Draft’s Forgotten Rounds

Quick question: name one player taken in the seventh round of the NFL draft. How about the sixth round? Fourth round? I can name two second-day draft picks, but only because they were both drafted by my hometown Jacksonville Jaguars.

Yes, Reggie Bush will get over 150 touches this year with the Saints, Mario Williams will help bolster a pathetic Texans pass rush, and Matt Leinart will be throwing touchdowns to Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald before the Cards are eliminated from playoff contention. But what about Detroit's seventh-round pick Anthony Cannon? He's a quick linebacker that could force a fumble or two on special teams.

Or the Giants' selection at 224 in the seventh round with Gerrick McPhearson? He's the fastest player to ever come out of Maryland. EVER. You don't think Tom Coughlin's going to put him on the end of the field goal team to block Mike Vanderjagt kicks twice a year? What if it's McPhearson that blocks a kick with the Giants leading by two and Coughlin's Giants capture a wildcard spot all because of an obscure cornerback from Maryland?

There are little-known draft picks made every year after the LenDale Whites and Jay Cutlers are off the board. The fourth through seventh rounds of the draft can make or break a team that loses a starter or two to injury. Just look at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Two seventh round draft picks, Rob Meier and Bobby McCray, accounted for 11.5 sacks last year. That's more than Dwight Freeney or Julius Peppers. Granted, Peppers and Freeney are special players that do much more than sack — they pressure the quarterback, bat down passes, and drop back into zone coverage. They are two of the best athletes playing the game right now, but they are asked to play probably five times as many snaps as McCray and Meier.

But, the two probably ask for five times the salary.

Second day draft picks can hurt a team just as much as benefit them. Look a team that went an entire year without any second day draft picks: the New Orleans Saints. Yes, they got Ricky Williams for a short while and he was a phenomenal pickup for them. But the Saints missed out on six or seven players that could have been potential offensive linemen, third down wide receivers to complement Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth, or a decent linebacker push for a starting job. That is why there are winners and losers in every round of the NFL draft, not just the first, second, and third rounds.

Fourth Round

WINNER — Baltimore with its selection of wide receiver Demetrius Williams. The man has experience (a three-year starter at Oregon), size (6'2", 200 pounds), and had over 16 yards a catch last season. I figured the Browns would select Williams with their third round draft pick. Instead, Cleveland went with oft-injured Travis Wilson of Oklahoma. I think Baltimore got quite a steal with this pick.

LOSER — Minnesota with their selection of Ray Edwards, a defensive end from Purdue. I saw him play a game or two and he had athletic ability and good instincts, but he's a headache for coaches. This is not the kind of player to bring into an organization looking for stability, especially since the real story about the cruise ship was uncovered.

SLEEPER — Leon Washington of the New York Jets. He could turn out to be quite a find for an organization frantically searching for a replacement for Curtis Martin. If the Jets use a running back by committee approach, look for Washington to fit in quite nicely as the third-down back.

Fifth Round

WINNER — Seattle with hometown boy David Kirtman from USC. The man has more experience than any fullback coming out of college in recent years as he blocked for not one, but two NFL-caliber running backs in LenDale White and Reggie Bush. Kirtman will fit in perfectly as Shaun Alexander's lead blocker and will line up in most (if not all) special teams formations.

LOSER — I really liked this round. Not many teams did anything to where I said to myself, "Man, they really messed up there." The only thing I can say bad about it is that I hate that Green Bay selected Ingle Martin, a hometown Florida Gator from nearby Gainesville who transferred to Furman to get more playing time. I really don't think Martin stands a chance to do anything more than be the practice squad's whipping boy. Aaron Rodgers is the man in the driver's seat when Favre decides he's finally too old to play football, which will probably be around the second week of the preseason (hopefully). I hate to see the Packers lose. My Uncle grew up there. Green Bay natives don't take well to bad football. Ever.

SLEEPER — I didn't want to be a homer and pick the Jacksonville Jaguars' selection of Brent Hawkins as my "winner." The guy is a pass-rushing machine that coach Jack Del Rio is thanking his lucky stars was available to him this late in the fifth round. I've seen Hawkins in training camp. He isn't very big, but he has heart and more drive than any other rookie on the team. He's a blue-collar guy you'd expect to see in Pittsburgh playing under Bill Cowher, but Del Rio was lucky enough to pick up Hawkins, whom many had projected would go on the first day.

Sixth Round

WINNER — Why do I have the feeling Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots had inside information when they selected guard Dan Stevenson from Charlie Weis' Fighting Irish? Under Belichick, the Patriots have always had great cold-weather offensive linemen and Stevenson will fit in perfectly.

LOSER — Why did Baltimore waste their pick on Derrick Martin of Wyoming? All I read about him is that he's not a very coachable player. And he came out a year early. It's not exactly a real formula for success. Billick is on the hot seat and he needs players to contribute immediately. My prediction is that Martin will not even make the roster.

SLEEPER — Jeff Webb of Kansas City. I see Webb getting a couple dozen passes thrown his way this year on third down, but more importantly, he will take some much needed pressure off of Eddie Kennison. I like Webb at this position. It's very little risk yet high reward for the Chiefs.

Seventh Round

WINNER — Dallas with their selection of centerE.J. Whitley from Texas Tech. He's a hometown boy who has great size for a center (6'5", 290). Parcells has been playing with smaller linemen and now's his chance to put in a big guy from Texas. What's not to like?

LOSER — Tampa Bay, no question. They selected not one, not two, but three tight ends on the second day. Tim Massoqui of Michigan will be on the practice squad. Why waste this pick? Trade the seventh-rounders you have for a sixth-round draft pick, or combine some late draft picks for a fifth-round pick. Just don't select three tight ends. Not when you can get a practice squad tight end easily in undrafted free agency.

SLEEPER — Wide receiver Kevin McMahan of Oakland. Why? Because he's the 31st Mr. Irrelevant and probably the first in a while to have a chance at making a difference for an NFL team. He's a big guy that Aaron Brooks could use in the red zone. At the very least, he's big enough to make a tackle downfield on kickoffs.