Final draft thoughts
1st round picks I liked:
Dolphins – Jake Long - He’s a great left tackle and will anchor that line for years to come. He’s a great building block for them.
Oakland – Darren McFadden -He’s a great weapon for Jamarcus Russell to utilize. He’s big and fast; he can run you over or run right past you. It makes sense that the Raiders would take an offensive player, given the tons of money they spent on defense in free agency.
NY Jets – Vernon Gholston - He’s a great defensive end and will immediately improve the Jets defense. He’s a monster pass rusher.
New England – Jerrod Mayo - They needed some youth at LB, given that all their starters from last year are over 30.
Dallas – Felix Jones - This makes the Dallas offense ridiculous. Barber and Jones in the backfield is scary (not to mention Jones as a returner). Dallas now has more than enough offense to win a play-off game. It’ll be up to the defense not to screw it up.
Pittsburgh – Rashard Mendenhall – He’s a great fit for the Steelers. He can pound that ball on the inside and will be a great change of pace from Willie Parker.
Dallas – Mike Jenkins - Jenkins gives them a great CB tandem with Terrance Newman on the opposite side. They are putting together the defensive firepower to match the offense.
1st round picks I didn’t like:
St. Louis – Chris Long - Don’t get me wrong, Long is a great player, but given how quickly that offense has aged, they really could have used an OL or a WR. They would have had to trade back to pick either of those, but more picks is never a bad thing.
Buffalo – Leodis McKelvin -Not the best CB in the draft. Given that none had been selected by #11, I’m surprised they didn’t go for one of the better CB’s, like Mike Jenkins.
Carolina – Jonathan Stewart -Stewart s a great runner, but they don’t need a great runner. They need OL help to create holes for their RB’s.
Chicago – Chris Williams -One the one hand, they need line help. But on the other hand, Cedric Benson is terrible and Mendenhall would have been a great fit in Chicago. At least now Grossman will have more time to make poor throws and bad decisions.
Arizona – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – A great CB, but Arizona already has a solid D. They could have picked up Mendenhall with this pick to replace the washed up Edgerrin James.
Baltimore – Joe Flacco -Not to bash small schools, but I don’t think Delaware has remotely prepared Flacco for the speed and talent in the NFL. A more NFL ready QB like Brian Brohm would have been a better choice, especially this late in round 1. Baltimore will continue to struggle at the QB position.
Filed under: NFL Draft
Tags: arizona cardinals, baltimore ravens, brian brohm, buffalo bills, carolina panthers, cedric benson, chicago bears, chris long, chris williams, dallas cowboys, darren mcfadden, dominique rodgers-cromartie, edgerrin james, felix jones, jake long, jamarcus russell, jerrod mayo, joe flacco, jonathan stewart, leodis mckelvin, marion barber, miami dolphins, mike jenkins, new england, new york jets, oakland raiders, pittsburgh steelers, rashard mendenhall, rex grossman, saint louis rams, terrance newman, vernon gholston, willie parker
