Rounds two and three of the NFL draft occurred last night, amid the announcement that the lockout is back on. While looking into how much Roger Goodell does not care about the fans or the players is a topic for another day, today we shall look at the best and worst moves of Day Two, broken down by rounds.
Good moves of the second round:
-Andy Dalton going to the Bengals. This gives them leverage in the Carson Palmer fiasco. They can either tell him to take a walk, or move him and have something other than Jordan Palmer to lead the team.
-Ryan Williams going to Arizona. Maybe this is the year the Cardinals can run the ball. They've certainly invested a lot of picks in that position over the last few years. Williams is a complete back, and should take the job with ease.
-Titus Young going to the Lions. This gives them a legitimate possession receiver opposite of Calvin Johnson, and will force the defense to pay attention to someone else downfield. Now if only Stafford can stay healthy...
-Ben Ijalana to the Colts. Pure power, lane opening, run blocking lineman. They may keep him at tackle, but he would be better suited as a guard. Either way, this selection will help a running game that had nowhere to go last year.
-Da'Quan Bowers to the Bucs. Let's see, the Bucs stayed put, and took the number 6 ranked player in the draft at pick 51. Insane value. Coupled with Clayborn, they have improved the pass rush significantly. Biggest concern is the knee, but at this point of the draft, it's worth the gamble.
Bad moves of the second round:
-Ras-I Dowling to the Patriots. Why? They already have three cornerbacks that can play. Also, there were better cornerbacks available at 33 if they truly felt they needed to make another selection there. The top pick of the second round is WAY too high to be spending on a player that will only be on the field in the dime.
-Continuing with the Patriots, their selection of Shane Vereen. He's a third down back. While Kevin Faulk is getting old, they already had his replacement with Danny Woodhead. While Woodhead is undersized, he also fits that role perfectly. What is Vereen's role going to be?
-Colin Kaepernick going to San Fran. He's a development quarterback, who is going to be tutored by Harbaugh. The hjope is that he'll be ready in a couple of years, but this also means that the 49ers are almost definately bringing back Alex Smith. Kaepernick is too raw to see the field this year, but probably will if Smith returns.
-Greg Little to the Cleveland Browns. Stop us if you've heard this before - the browns drafted a raw receiver in the second round. Don't they already have three of these players on the roster? How has that worked for them? This is particularly perplexing when they had the opportunity to draft Julio Jones, who could be the game changer they desperately need. Colt McCoy should be pissed.
On to the third round. Here are the best moves:
-Ryan Mallett to the Patriots. They got the best quarterback in the draft at pick 74. He is the heir to Tom Brady, and Patriots fans will love this pick in a few years. The biggest concern is keeping his head straight, but with that locker room and coaching staff, that will not be a problem.
-Austin Pettis to the Rams. This gives Bradford the possession receiver he needs in that offense. He was overshadowed by Titus Young, but is a legitimate receiving prospect in his own right. he will help open the field for the smaller, quicker receivers that the Rams have.
-Jerrel Jernigan to the Giants. Yes, the Giants are deep at receiver already, but Jernigan can play anywhere. He has lined up as a Wildcat quarterback, and also is a good red zone target. He can make an immediate impact in New York.
-Mason Foster to the Bucs. Let's see here, a playmaking linebacker that fits what the Bucs do on defense perfectly being available at pick 81? The biggest knock against him is that he was considered a bit slow, but the speed a player performs at is more important than any drills. Foster makes plays. Meet the next stud linebacker for Tampa Bay.
And now, moves that did not make as much sense:
-Rob Housler to Arizona. Yes, the Cardinals needed help at tight end. But the tight end is not a big part of their offense, and Housler is not much of a blocker. If they plan on using the tight end more, better pass catchers (D.J. Williams) were available. Quite a stretch taking him with that pick.
-DeMarco Murray to the Cowboys. I really like Murray as a player. He's a good back that will perform when given the opportunity. But he goes to Dallas, where they already have three good backs. Is he going to see the field? While Marion Barber III is probably gone from the Cowboys, he still has Felix Jones and Tashard Choice ahead of him on the depth chart. It's a waste to only be giving Murray five carries a game, which is the likely outcome.
-Steven Ridley to the Patriots. Umm....didn't you draft a running back the round before? So why take another running back here? Oh, and that pick 28 that you traded to the Saints? Yeah, that was Mark Ingram. If you really needed a running back that badly, why make the trade Bill? Maybe you just can't help yourself anymore. Thanks for becoming a parody of yourself.
-Alex Green to Green Bay. Yes, the Packers went through practically anyone that ever played running back last year on their Super Bowl run, so they needed a running back. However, there were better backs available. Green is a third down back, who is essentially Brandon Jackson. So, if they don't like Jackson, why draft the exact same player?
More thoughts about Day Three will be posted tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment