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National Football League
Draft King Analysis
April 6, 2009
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
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Enjoy the North Carolina vs. Michigan State men's basketball finals tonight. I picked that exact matchup (with UNC winning) to win a pick 'em pool comprised mostly of graduates from a major Ivy League school; I clinched first place after the second semi-final game. Oddly enough, I also am in another pool with people at a TV station where I once worked, and though I took Michigan State to win it all there, I won't win regardless of tonight's result as I choked on the rest of the Final Four.
 | Kellen Winslow was the #7 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. (Icon SMI)
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Why do I mention the Final Four? Because it reminds me of the senselessness of the current college football system. If you think that March Madness is great, just imagine what December/January playoff major level college football playoff games would be like. Perhaps someday it will happen...
The agents for Boston College DT B.J. Raji say that he did not test positive for marijuana at the combine. A direct quote: "BJ Raji has NOT received any letter from the NFL or the Independent Administrator indicating that he tested positive for drugs at the Combine." The NFL teams know the truth, and hopefully false rumors about any players won't hurt their draft status. It's tough on my end, as ignoring the issue would be insulting to the readers of this site, but by the same token I don't want to unfairly imply the perceived guilt of any person.
Tampa Bay Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow has signed a new six-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I mention this in particular because, as PFT reports, Winslow's contract is fully guaranteed for injuries for the first three years of the deal. That might be slightly misleading since a team can't cut a player because of an injury per se, at least not as I understand the rules.
It has been a tough off-season for former Jaguars WR Reggie Williams. Williams became an unrestricted free agent at midnight on February 27 and, literally a few hours later, he was arrested in Houston on charges of DWI and for marijuana possession. Those charges were subsequently dropped. But then, late last night, an altercation took place which ended when Williams was tasered by police officers. Police say they found a "little baggy" on Williams that is suspected to have contained cocaine, and he now faces drug possession charges.
Williams had so much promise coming out of the University of Washington as a 6'4" 215 pound receiver with good hands and a 4.45 time in the 40. It was no surprise that he was a top ten pick in 2004, but he never was able to translate those tangibles into success in the NFL. Williams is one of a relatively large number of wide receivers to be drafted in the first round but to fizzle on the field, a testament to the risk involved with anticipating how any given wide receiver will make the shift from college to the pro ranks. It remains to be seen if Williams will get another shot in the NFL.
Because of the Jay Cutler trade, the Chicago Bears' signing of free agent OT Orlando Pace soon thereafter went relatively unnoticed. That was a huge move that makes the Bears look even more dangerous for 2009. Pace had a Hall of Fame run in St. Louis, and really whatever he does from here is gravy as far as his career goes, but Pace is 33 and still might have a little bit left in the tank. Surely this will be a better situation for Pace than what he endured in St. Louis in 2007 and 2008.
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