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National Football League
Draft King Mailbag
April 27, 2007
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: Brian Wallin
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Apr 26, 2007 10:41 AM
Subject: Cardinals Draft,
I am a closet Cardinals fan, and quietly am really hoping that they will be
playoff contenders soon... (Crossing my fingers on Ken Whisenhunt!!!) and being from WI am a huge Badger fan, my ideal dream would have Joe Thomas going 5th to AZ protecting Matt Leinart for the next 10 years... but my question is how come nobody is talking about the following as a possibility... with the rumors flying that AZ might be able to bring in Alan Faneca, and the signing of Gandy to play T, maybe the could gamble on offensive line help a little later in the draft... How fun would it be if they traded up with Detroit, and drafted Calvin Johnson. An offense with Johnson, Fitzgerald, Boldin, Edge, and Leinart could be unstoppable....
Lou: While CJ would be give the Cardinals three amazing WR targets, realistically Arizona would be much, much better off going with Joe Thomas. I've read that Arizona is not looking to trade up, which surprised me... then I realized that this was the week before the draft and to be skeptical about all rumors. But, with no team making waves about moving up to land Thomas, perhaps Arizona likes its chances on Thomas dropping to #5.
As it is, Alan Faneca is simply a "wish list" player for Arizona (as Faneca is still a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers), and with some skuttle of possible tampering by the Cardinals regarding him, that is hardly something to count on. Mike Gandy was a nice pickup to play one of the tackle positions, but the Cardinals need more offensive line help than just him.
If it goes Russell, CJ, and Quinn, then the only thing between the Cards and Joe Thomas would be the Bucs (unless the Bucs trade up to get CJ, which is possibly what will happen.) There is risk involved in hoping Thomas falls to #5, but if the Cards feel good enough about other OL prospects who will be there in rounds two and three, as well as other potential prospects at the #5 spot, that they may roll the dice on getting Thomas and then take a guy like Gaines Adams if Thomas isn't available for them.
There's always the possibility of the Cardinals "shocking the world" and taking Adrian Peterson at #5. Why? Edgerrin James averaged only 3.4 yards per carry last year, and particularly in the copycat NFL, having a two-headed RB approach might be something we see more of in 2007 (as that approach helped the Colts and the Bears reach the Super Bowl.)
From: Chris McKay
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Apr 26, 2007 8:38 PM
Subject: Vikings at #7
Hi Lou, the draft is only a couple of days away, but I hope you can squeeze
this into a mailbag somewhere. I was wondering what you thought the Vikings
might do at #7 overall. The value that is expected to be left on the board
for them does not match up well with their needs. Either Quinn or Peterson
may fall to them, but I can't see them taking either of those players. Adams
will almost certainly be off the board, and Jamaal Anderson may be as well.
I believe that they should take Leon Hall, even if it is a slight reach.
Corner is a massive problem area for the Vikings with aging Antoine Winfield
and unproven Cedric Griffin as their starters, and little depth behind them.
Their other position of need, WR, can be taken care of in the 2nd round with
someone like Steve Smith or Sidney Rice. Your thoughts?
Lou: I put Peterson in at #7, if only because of the upside potential factor. Chester Taylor will turn 28 during the season, so he still has two years left before he hits the dreaded age 30 (a time-honored spot of decline for almost all RBs) and Ciatrick Fason seems to be a capable backup. There is late word that Minnesota is looking at LaRon Landry, but I think that might be a bluff in an attempt to get either Atlanta or Houston to move up a few spots to get him.
From: Scott Anonymous
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Apr 27, 2007 1:59 AM
Subject: 1st round running backs
Lou - love your site. I was sitting around, thinking about my Texans and the rumors of a trade with the Broncos (from profootballtalk.com), and I came up with a question for ya.
If the Texans stay at 10, and Adrian Peterson is available, it seems as if everyone agrees that they should take him, as do I - despite recent information being revealed that he re-injured his collarbone in the Fiesta Bowl. Taking this Texas-born running back may help a few people forget about the Reggie Bush/Vince Young thing, and win a few fans back. But that's not why I think they should take him
Many people cite how Gary Kubiak may not value running backs very high in the first round (a la Shanahan), but I think they should take him for one very important reason: running backs adjust pretty quickly to the NFL. The Texans can't attract very many free agents because of their salary cap situation and history of mediocrity, but I think a good running back like AP can do wonders for that. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the Texans to go 8-8 or so this coming year. Doing so will show improvement and progress to pending free agents, as well as put the Texans around the 16th or 17th draft slot in the first round next year, which helps the salary cap since we won't be dumping tons of money into draft picks who have really proven nothing on the NFL level. I think Adrian Peterson is the kind of running back that can translate into an extra two wins on the field, and a looser salary cap in the future. Even if he has an 8 or 10 year career with the Texans, he'd be worth it if his presence brings the Texans out of this terrible cycle of constantly drafting in the top-12 and the gigantic contracts that go with it. Would you agree with this train of thought?
Of course, like I said, a draft pick is essentially an "unknown"...
Lou: Adrian Peterson is the real deal, and he should have a great NFL career if he can stay healthy. If he really slides to #10 or below, it would surprise me greatly, but it is a high risk/high reward situation for all involved.
If the Texans get Peterson, that has to be considered a huge success. Matt Schaub + AP = playoffs?
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