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National Football League
Draft King Mailbag
January 10, 2007
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: Jayson Clausen
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Jan 10, 2007 10:43 AM
Subject: My Poor AZ Cardinals.....
Hi Lou, LOVE the site. I got a couple quick questions and comments and hopefully you can help determine who My Poor Cardinals will take with the 5th pick.
First, everywhere I look I see Mock draft sites claiming the Cardinals are going to take Joe Thomas…. Will he really last that long? He is hands down the best OL prospect in the draft and would be a perfect fit, however the teams ahead of him (especially the Raiders) would be well served by scooping him up. Oh, and a little AZ insider info…. There is next to NO chance that Leonard Davis will return. After the last practice of the season he was the 1st to clean out his locker and bolted the scene.
My next question is are there any stud outside linebackers or secondary help that might slip to the Cards in the 2nd or 3rd rounds? Karlos Dansby can’t hold up for an entire season and Orlando Huff just isn’t any good. 2nd year corners Rolle and Green have steadily regressed…..
Thanks for the insight!!!!
Lou: Very interesting about the Leonard Davis scoop. This is part of the reason why it helps to hear from fans of individual teams, as they usually know more about their club than I do, particularly on something like L. Davis cleaning out his locker first.
I could see Arizona potentially trading up to get Thomas, though with Cleveland and Tampa Bay in a coin flip situation, that will need to be settled before any dealing is done.
To my friends who work for the NFL: please press for the coin flip tiebreakers to happen the week before the Super Bowl. In my estimation it's unfair that because the tie-breaker works the way it does where strength of schedule is the only differentiating factor for teams with identical records. Teams with identical records and identical strengths of schedule are forced to wait longer than the rest of the league to know where they are picking, placing them at a strategical disadvantage relative to talking trade with the teams picking above and below them.
As for Round 2-3 linebackers, Arizona might get a great value pick if Oklahoma OLB Rufus Alexander falls out of the first round. Georgia OLB Tony Taylor or Alabama OLB Juwan Simpson might be considered, or if more size is desired, Nebraska OLB Stewart Bradley could be a nice fit. This is a pretty deep draft talent-wise at OLB, and while there aren't any Derrick Johnson type guys in there, there should be talent at the spot to be found late on day one. Or, if Arizona chooses to wait, a guy like USC LB Dallas Sartz (Who had to redshirt in 2005 because of a severe shoulder injury) could be on the board as a potential steal on day two.
From: Justin Hansen
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Jan 10, 2007 12:24 PM
Subject: brian brohm
I know the kid has talent and if he came back even with petrino gone he'd be a top 5 pick. I just don't understand why a lot of people have him going to Jacksonville. The place in the draft makes sense to me but not the team. Leftwich and Gerrard are both quality not star QBs in my eyes but giving up on both them seems too soon. The Jags have almost passed Indy in the AFC south and drafting a down the road player at 17 doesnt help them next season.
There are sometimes QB selections that come unexpectedly, in no small part because the position frequently demands a longer-than-average development cycle, leading teams to make a move before the general public anticipates it.
Jacksonville is an interesting case. The NFL Network's Adam Shefter reported that the Jaguars will look to trade Byron Leftwich, though that will be complicated by the likely stipulation from the team receiving Leftwich that he sign a contract extension as part of any deal. David Garrard also has only one year remaininga on his contract, and Garrard was pulled in favor of Quinn Gray during the second half of the season finale. So, while Jacksonville might look okay at QB at a cursory glance, the long-term diagnosis would appear to hint toward bringing in a QB, particularly if one of Brohm's ability is on the board.
From: Aric Bibbs
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Jan 10, 2007 4:47 PM
Subject: Ted Genn Jr.
What I wanted to know is do you think Ted Genn Jr. will come out this year and if he does come out do you think he will be a first or second round pick and if so what are the Cowboys chances of getting him?
Lou: With Troy Smith graduating, I strongly suspect that Ginn will turn pro. The status of his injured foot from the BCS Title game is not expected to affect his decision, according to what his father told the press, but no official word has been given on that as of yet. My guess: Ginn will declare for the 2007 Draft.
Some believe that Ginn is a lock for the first round. Actually, it's more than some -- it's most people who I've read on the topic. I'm not so sure though; while Ginn is extremely fast, he has been knocked at times for his hands and his route running, and what happens if you try to send him out for a pass over the middle?
Ginn as a Cowboy is an interesting concept. The Giants have Sinorice Moss, so this would be a way for Jerry Jones to one-up them. If Owens and Glenn are coming back for another year (and all indications are that they are) then the pressure will be off Ginn from having to make plays right away, and he will have an opportunity to shine on special teams.
Maybe I'm wrong on Ginn, but I just keep thinking of that slight stature and suspecting that it will make him fall. But, to be sure, he is a playmaker, and elite speed is valued in the NFL.
From: Jonathan Bodkin
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Jan 10, 2007 6:02 PM
Subject: Cowboys Draft
I noticed a lot of the preliminary mock drafts have Dallas taking an offensive lineman for their first round pick. Wouldn't it make more sense to take a defensive back with this pick, such as a Michael Griffin? I know Dallas has had their fair share of offensive line issues, and those false start penalties have killed them. But to me, passing on a wealth of talent at the defensive back position in last year's draft and getting lit up in several games this year (the New Orleans game comes to mind) makes me think that they should bolster that secondary. So what are the Cowboys gonna do???
Lou: Dallas has many options at Pick #23. I touched on the Dallas offensive line situation in a recent mailbag, but the team could go in many different directions. I just went over the possibility of Ted Ginn, Jr. ending up there, and if Bill Parcells returns and wants defensive line help, a pass rusher could be added so it doesn't turn into DeMarcus Ware vs. the opposing offensive line in that effort again in 2007.
As for a first round defensive back, that would surprise me. With Terence Newman,
Anthony Henry, and Aaron Glenn at corner, the team has a large amount of money already invested in the position. SS Roy Williams was a first round pick, and it would make more sense for the team to pick up a free agent free safety to improve that position right away. But if FS LaRon Landry falls, and if Dallas ranks him high (which they should), then he could end up there. But that's the only way I anticipate that scenario taking place.
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