Kevin Jones chatter
NFL Draft Mailbag
March 1, 2004
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: Ridinwth88@***.com
Sent: Sunday, February 29, 2004 11:21 AM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Patriots draft.
I don't know if I can agree with your picks for the New England Patriots. Offensive guard is a position which is not usually taken so high, unless a guy is out-of-this-world good, and with Belichick's love for the hard working, veteran O-linemen it's difficult to see him reach for a guy like Carey, who has weight issues and struggled at guard last year. Remember, Mike Compton comes back from injury this season, providing depth at guard in place of Woody. I can't see them passing up a talent like Kevin Jones at RB if he is still there
Also, for your 32 pick, I highly doubt Greg Jones will be on the Pats radar. Jones had a good senior bowl, and is undoubtedly talented, but scouts have been frustrated by this guy in workouts for weeks now. I read a report where the Bengals RB coach threw a fit on Jones for repeatedly making lazy mistakes in a simple drill. I doubt Belichick takes a hard head like Jones, remember, he'll take a less talented, smart player over a very talented dunce.This pick is where you might see them take the best tackle available (with Kevin Jones as their first pick), like a Jacob Rogers. Just my thoughts.
Lou: After thinking it over, I reached this conclusion: if the Patriots are going to invest a first round pick in a RB, they're going to take Kevin Jones if he's there at #21. If not, then they'd pass on him (for Vernon Carey or whomever) and also not take an RB at #32. At least that would be a more logical course of events -- unless the Pats are for some reason very high on Greg Jones and think he's really something special. More likely, if Greg Jones ends up a Patriot, it will be because he slipped to them in the second round (where they have two more picks waiting).
As for Carey, I don't concur that he struggled at guard. Perhaps we have different perceptions of how he played the position, but the fact that he's the only guard being mentioned as a first round pick (not just by me, but by most draft sites) I think says it all for his abilities (and plus he can play tackle as well, which makes him that much more of an attractive prospect).
From: LeBronJames44@***.com
Sent: Sunday, February 29, 2004 8:06 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: (no subject)
Why would the Patriots pass on Kevin Jones??
Lou: My hypothesis is based on the Pats signing someone like Charlie Garner as a free agent. What you might see them do is snag a RB with their second pick in the second round, perhaps a Michael Turner or a Greg Jones if he falls. Now keep in mind, this isn't what I would personally choose to do... but I've heard that New England wants Garner in a bad way, and this would allow them to fill OG and LB needs in the first round. But the Patriots have so many options... it's really going to be fun to see how it plays out for them.
From: Jeff Gorman
Sent: Sunday, February 29, 2004 11:05 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: 2004 draft
I am stumped. I keep seeing these mock drafts and a majority of them have the Steelers picking Steven Jackson of Oregon State. Why? The Steelers have several good running backs while their weakest position is defensive secondary. Their offensive line was banged up and lacked the depth to keep the running game strong. Why would anybody expect them to take a running back?
I've been saying DeAngelo Hall of Virginia Tech in round one. The fact that Steelers just cut Dewayne Washington and still have Amos Zeroue backs that up. The only way the Steelers pass on Hall is if Shawn Andrews or Sean Taylor are still available when they select. I don't expect Robert Gallery to hang on that long, certainly. If none of the above are still available than they take Will Poole of USC. It would be nice to take Andrews and shove the current starters down into the depth chart.
After selecting Hall in round one the Steelers will take the best offensive lineman available in round two and then either another DB or a fullback in round three and four. They will take at least two lineman, two DBs and one linebacker in this draft. Of course free agency will color this substantially.
They took two DBs last year. I hope Polamalu comes round and become the next Donnie Shell for them. I think that bum hamstring is still a problem.
PS: Panthers take the best cornerback still available with their First round pick. Most likely.... Will Poole.
Lou: Well Jeff, I would agree that the Steelers could certainly make good use of DeAngelo Hall. But the real argument becomes: is Amos Zereoue capable of being the franchise back for the Steelers next year. Many, many Steelers fans have told me (some in no uncertain terms) that they believe this is not the case and that the team needs to take a RB at #11, be it Jackson or Kevin Jones.
Don't sell Steven Jackson short. He didn't get a ton of media exposure up there at Oregon State, but the guy can run hard and run fast. I could see him starting opening day for the Steelers -- something I couldn't see for most of the other potential contenders, given Bill Cowher's style (perhaps DeAngelo Hall as a kick returner, but at corner?) I expect the Steelers to fill their CB void via free agency.
Here's another player mentioned: Shawn Andrews. Andrews may very well be there. His weight is seen as a major issue by a number of teams, but I say that a good conditioning coach, coupled with Andrews being able to exercise properly after nasal surgery, will help fix that. Andrews was dominant at Arkansas. Absolutely overwhelming. I think he'll be there for the Steelers at #11, and he might be a "surprise pick" for the team at that spot. I think he'll be a great pro.
Will Poole is a good talent, but at #11 he'd be a stretch for the Steelers. Now if he's there at #31 for Carolina, then Panthers fans should be thrilled beyond belief. But the late teens will be cherry picking time for CBs, as Cincinnati, New Orleans and Minnesota could all theoretically take a CB in succession (and you could imagine the potential jockeying in there as a result). And even down there near the Panthers' pick, you have the Colts (who lost Walt Harris to free agency) and the Chiefs (who really, really need CB help -- did you see their playoff loss to Indy?) But even if the cupboard is bare for Carolina at CB, there should be quality talent at LB available for them at that #31 spot.
