Lou Pickney's 2024 NFL Mock Draft

National Football League
Draft King Mailbag

Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.

From JeRhonda Bernard
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Nov 8, 2006 7:41 PM
Subject: (no subject)

Ok you say that Troy Smith would be the fourth QB taken off the board. I think that teams should take a closer look. This guy reminds me or a mobile Dree Brees, with his leadership, his big arm, and his ability to win. He's also about to walk of with the hiesman trophy, teams would be crazy to pass him up. Your opinon or thought on when and where he will go?

Lou: It's possible that Smith could leapfrog Drew Stanton, but based on what I've read, it doesn't seem especially likely. Smith has been very impressive at QB, but excelling on the college level does not always equate to success in the NFL.

Is Smith a more athletic version of Brees? That may be an apt comparison. Brees is shorter than the NFL prototype at 6'0", which is part of why he fell out of the first round in the 2001 Draft (interesting to reflect that the Chargers landed both Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson in that draft.) And much like Brees proved himself to be a first round caliber player, Smith will likely be able to do the same on the pro level.

I'm not sure that Smith really has what you'd call a big arm; his accuracy is great, but he's not particularly noted for the velocity of his passes. Arm strength tends to be a bit overrated in the NFL relative to accuracy; would you rather have a medium-speed pass on the money, or a bullet that sails 6 inches too high?

In one of those bizarre twists, there are people who doubt Smith simply because he has some strong teammates at Ohio State. Yes, the Buckeyes are stacked, but it's unfair to label that as a liability for Smith relative to his potential for the NFL.

The true test for Smith will come at the combine and at individual workouts with teams. It is in those settings where GMs, the people who ultimately make the decision on who to draft, will make their respective judgments on Smith's NFL potential and how it translated to the team looking at him.

Part of what will dictate where Smith goes is the need that exists (or is not present) in teams in the draft. There are a number of teams that are probably going to be drafting high in round two that would like to see Smith fall to them, should they opt not to take a round one QB. Here are some possibilities: the Raiders (no round one QBs since 1991), the Texans (at what point is enough enough for David Carr?), the Buccaneers (Chris Simms is in a contract year; Gruden being able to coach a player of Smith's ability would be appealing), the Lions (imagine Troy Smith running a Mike Martz crazy offense), the Bills (for J.P. Losman, the clock is ticking) or maybe even the Jets (even though the 2006 season has been better than rejuvenation for Chad Pennington.) If you're looking toward the mid-late first round, consider: the Ravens (could use a young QB, so long as Steve McNair can be cajoled into accepting the situation), the Rams (Marc Bulger turns 30 in the off-season, and they could bring Smith along slowly), or the Panthers (Jake Delhomme turns 32 in January.)

From: Matt Smith
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date Nov 9, 2006 2:23 PM
Subject: Packers and lions, oh my

As a Michigan native I wonder what needs these two woeful teams will adress in the draft, my guess would be a running back or a corner in green bay but they have many needs

the lions are just as needy but if brady quinn is availiable they should take him , or joe thomas as there line is pathetic, it always has been just ask barry sanders

Lou: Green Bay could go in several directions in the draft. If they have the chance to take RB Adrian Peterson, they should definitely do so. Short of that, I think the Packers would give a long look at WR Calvin Johnson. Rodgers-to-Johnson would be an interesting combo. And while the Packers need help at corner, a safety like LaRon Landry would add an instant upgrade to the team's suffering secondary.

As for the Lions, Brady Quinn would be a logical fit, or even Brian Brohm. The team might be gun-shy about a high draft pick QB after Joey Harrington didn't work out there, but a team must can't let past failures dictate future decisions, i.e. Cincinnati not being hung up on Akili Smith when it took Carson Palmer, which has worked out well for them. In the offensive line, Jeff Backus has played well at left tackle and Dominic Raiola has been strong at center, but the other three spots have been weaker, in part because of injuries. I'm not sure that Detroit would draft Thomas to make him a right tackle, or use a high #1 pick to get a guard, but in the middle rounds you might see the Lions go for some o-line upgrades.

Draft King NFL Mock Draft

NFL Draft Prospect Profiles

Draft King is owned and operated by Lou Pickney. © 2003-2024, all rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, the views expressed here are those of Lou Pickney alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any media company.