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From: Rock Barnett
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Oct 3, 2006 6:15 PM
Subject: (no subject)

i think for your next mock draft you should move the bears a little closer to the 32nd pick. just a thought.

Lou: I can't argue with that, especially after Chicago's dominant performance against Buffalo yesterday. The Bears may be in that #32 spot when I do my newest mock draft tomorrow.

From: Kristopher Kem
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Oct 9, 2006 2:20 PM
Subject: San Diego SuperChargers 1st pick

Why do you think the Chargers will go with an outside linebacker in the 1st round? With a future Defensive Player of the Year in Shawne Merriman as a rush OLB and a young, energetic, and more than capable Shaun Phillips on the other side, I would think that the Chargers would look to fill the MLB void that will left when Donnie Edwards does not return next season. I think Buster Davis, although a bit short, would be a great fit for San Diego. He is a sideline to sideline guy that flies to the ball, plus he has the athletic ability to drop back in coverage. He has the right attitude to fit in to that front seven right away.

Side notes:

I think Calvin Johnson goes higher, Zbikowski lower (I guess I'm not that high on him), Landry higher, and I love the Brohm pick (I like him better than Quinn). What about Sidney Rice? Think he waits another year? And what do you think of Branch at Michigan? He has been phenominal.

Lou: You make a good point about the forthcoming hole for San Diego at ILB. The Chargers tried (unsuccessfully) to trade Edwards this past off-season, and the other starting ILB in that 3-4, Randall Godfrey, hinted at retirement before finally deciding to return this year. And while the Chargers are high on rookie ILB Tim Dobbins (a steal in the 5th round out of Iowa State), they'll need to restock the shelves at that position no matter what happens. Maybe Buster Davis will go to the Chargers in the first round, but if not, I don't anticipate San Diego letting day one pass without drafting an ILB. With a 3-4 defense, you must have depth at that spot.

Calvin Johnson probably will go higher than I have him on the board now... The guy is a phenomenal athlete who has lived up to the hype (and then some) so far this year. Jeff Samardzija is probably the second-best WR projected toward the draft at this point (because of Dwayne Jarrett's injury), but I think that Johnson is far and away the best prospect for the '07 draft from the WR spot. You could say that he's the best prospect in the past two years if you take last year's sub-par WR crop into consideration.

If Tom Zbikowski slips, it will be because of the relative need of teams at other positions and not because of his ability. His kick return skills give him added value, much like Justin Miller (CB out of Clemson drafted by the Jets) had added value above and beyond being a premium defensive back. Zbikowski probably won't end up with the Saints (who are just fine at SS and would move Zbikowski if they took him), but I don't think him going in the top half of the first round is an unreasonable projection.

Brian Brohm is a very, very talented player who would be garnering much more attention if he was at a higher profile school. His injury doesn't help him as far as exposure goes, but assuming that he can make a full recovery, he has the physical skills to play NFL ball at a high level.

Sidney Rice has the size (6'4") and speed (4.5ish in the 40) to be a major factor at WR in the NFL. He could use another year of priming at South Carolina; as of this writing, he has only scored in one game this year (posting 5 TDs against Florida Atlantic.) As a redshirt sophomore, he only has two years of college game experience, and while he is eligible to declare early for the NFL draft, I think it would be in his best interest to spend at least another year under Steve Spurrier's tutelage to take his game to the next level. He injured his knee in 2004, and proving that he's fully past that would be helpful. If he came out now, I think he'd be a 2nd or 3rd round pick. With another year of polish, he could be the best WR in the 2008 Draft.

Michigan DT Alan Branch is enormous, and at 6'6" 330 he would be an ideal DT fit for a 3-4 defense. Defensive Tackle tends to be a boom/bust position as far as the NFL Draft goes, and while he has first round size, plenty of DTs have come out early only to miss out on a first round payday because they slipped a bit in the draft. Now, if Branch's reported 36-to-38 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press is true, maybe this is the time for him to come out. Durability isn't a concern (he has played in 30 straight games), and superior size and strength can't be ignored. I may end up adding him to the mix with the next update.

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