Jackson or Jones
NFL Draft Mailbag
March 22, 2004
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: Mick Miller
Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2004 2:08 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Brandon Martin-Butler Bulldogs
what do you think of him as a sleeper pick? 4.47 speed, interception leader in 2004 for div 1-aa,and defensive back of the year div 1-aa, don hansen's pick as all-american, broke his school record with 17total, 82 total tackles for the year 76.5 solo.... see him on the Butler Bulldogs website for info. why Brandon Everage??? is he a safety, cb or qb???????? everyone has him down for a dafety pick, but his numbers are way below Brandon Martin's..whats up with that?? thanks!!
Lou: I see Brandon Martin as a player who could be as high as a late third round prospect at this point. As a safety coming from a I-AA school, he faces two disadvantages (playing safety, a lower priority position, and coming out of Butler). However, his interception ability makes him very tempting, and even though he didn't face the level of competition of someone like Brandon Everage (who played against top notch players on a regular basis while at Oklahoma -- more on Everage in a minute).
Martin is 5'11" 182 and runs a 4.5 40, so he doesn't have the height or weight of some of the other safeties battling for the #2 below the consensus top safety in the draft, Sean Taylor. Sean Jones from Georgia, Stuart Schweigert from Purdue, and even Matt Ware from UCLA are all 6'2" or taller. While height/weight might not be as important for safeties as for corners, that factor combined with Martin's small school status might work against him.
What will be important for Martin is making a good impression on a particular team that's looking for a safety that can make interceptions. Minnesota and New Orleans are two teams that come to mind as possibilities for Martin. He could go in the first day, or perhaps not until the 7th round (or not at all). It's a bit of a crapshoot. My guess is that he will be taken, since turnovers make defensive coordinators happy. But we'll see.
As for Everage, he has the ability to play both corner and safety, but as a safety he has a better chance of security a starting spot quicker. Of course, having the ability to play both positions makes him all the more valuable. I haven't heard anything about teams looking to make Everage into a QB (if Antwan Randal-El didn't become an NFL QB, why would Everage?)
From: LeBronJames44@***.com
Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2004 5:11 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: (no subject)
The patriots like Jackson way better then Jones so i think you have pick 21/22 mixed up
Lou: I personally think Steven Jackson is a stronger prospect than Kevin Jones, but for the longest time, I suspected that the Patriots would take Jones over Jackson. But then I looked at the receiving breakdown from last year...
Jackson: 44 receptions, 470 yards, 3 TDs.
Jones: 14 receptions, 161 yards, 0 TDs.
Given that the Patriots rely so heavily on the passing game, I now see the Patriots taking Jackson, and the latest Mock Draft reflects that.
From: Jason Simmons
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 1:20 PM
To: LouPickney@hotmail.com
Subject: Cowboys #22 pick
Hey Lou great website. I am a die hard Dallas fan. I have been doing a lot of research on the Cowboys and draft selections. I dont really see the Cowboys drafting a running back with the first round pick. Having only Pete Hunter, Donald Mitchell and possibly Mario Edwards for a second conerback next to Terrance Newman I think the Cowboys have to think cornerback. From the scouting reports i have heard that no running backs have impressed scouts thus far. So wouldnt it make more sense for the Cowboys to draft a corner then with the second round pick draft a Chris Perry or Maurice Clarrett?
Lou: That is an interesting theory, but I feel strongly that if the Cowboys have a shot at either Steven Jackson or Kevin Jones at #22, they'll take one of them. Dallas struggled mightily with its rushing game last year, and knowing Bill Parcells, he will remedy this situation.
Now Dallas will face a very intriguing choice if Jackson and Jones are gone. #22 seems far too early to take Chris Perry, and especially if DeAngelo Hall or Dunta Robinson are on the board, I could see the Cowboys taking a CB there.
Another possibility might be Dallas trading down -- perhaps dealing down to the end of the first round with New England and snagging one of the Pats' second rounders in the process (allowing New England to get their choice of the linebackers in the draft). Dallas can still get a good CB, while at the same time having a shot at a second round RB. It makes sense to me...
