Detroit was obviously the biggest surprise, taking Mike Williams. At first glance, three years in a row was a bit much. However, if the Lions have made the assumption that Charles Rogers is not going to be reliable, then this pick makes more sense. The BPA pickers should applaud this one. I'm not so sure. I did like Cody in the second...CB Wilson (son of Bengals corner in the 80s)....I think DE Swancutt was a very good choice in the 6th. I'm still struggling to justify the Williams selection. You ask Millen, and he will say that it was a good defensive move because if you keep your offense on the field....blah, blah, blah. Forget Cadillac, I like Benson. I think it would have been nice for the Bears if Braylon Edwards fell another slot, but Benson should be a good back. Bradley was a decent 2nd rounder, and I was pleased with their 4th rounder in QB Orton, whose stock fell too much due to injury. For a team that had no 3rd round selection, the Bears did good. They could have used a few more picks though. Can't blame the Packers for jumping on Rodgers when he fell to them. I wouldn't like it if I was Rodgers though. It will be good to learn from Favre, but you don't want to be the man who follows The Man..anywhere. He has some pressure. Collins and Murphy weren't flashy picks in 2, but I think Murphy is a decent pick, although I'm not sure he filled a pressing need at WR. Collins is still a maybe and was probably a stretch. Packers had lot of depth picks after that, but I'm not sure if there were any strong contributors, especially on defense. It took balls for the Vikings to take Williamson over Williams. I'm not saying it was the wrong decision, but it will be questioned in the future. DE James was a good pickup at their other round 1 pick. Does this mean the end of Mixon, or is Minn going to use a better rotation? Round 2 OT Johnson was a stretch, but I like Fason in the fourth. Oh, by the way, you need to include the loss of Moss as draft related because it did include a draft pick. They lost a major BA (as opposed to a bA), but they also lost a playmaker. Williamson is fast, but he's not a Moss. My rankings (this is a tough one): 1. Bears 2. Vikings 3. Lions / Packers
Here's my take on the Packers' draft this year... Overall grade, in my mind would be a C+...maybe a B-, depending on if their "projects" catch on fast enough. ********************** In the first round, the Packers had little choice but to take QB Aaron Rodgers from California. I remember thinking he was cocky about Cal as a football program, constantly complaining about their national ranking during his senior season. Needless to say, I don't think much of cocky people in general. Falling to #24, though, seems to have upped his humility level. He says he doesn't mind playing backup to Favre. His only beef, I think, will be that his two top jersey choices (#4 and #8) are gone. He's being stuck with Lynn Dickey's old number 12. Ultimately, I think it's a good pick based on how far he dropped, but it begs the question...who is going to be the odd man out this year? If they cut Craig Nall, they've basically wasted three years of development time on him. If they cut J.T. O'Sullivan, they basically invalidate a good portion of the Mike McKenzie trade. If they keep four QBs on the roster, they're sacrificing depth elsewhere. Then again, this is the Brain Trust that carried two freakin' PUNTERS on their active roster in 2004. I guess a 4th QB wouldn't be the end of the world. If I were Ted Thompson, I'd start shopping Nall and/or O'Sullivan around for draft picks next year. Both are playing under 1 year deals. To address the secondary, the Packers decided to pick up S/CB Nick Collins (2nd), S Marviel Underwood (4th), CB Michael Hawkins (5th) and S Kurt Campbell (7th). Collins looks solid and could very well be a starter this year, though he played for a small, no-name school and scored practically "brain dead" on the NFL's Wonderlic test. Underwood was a stretch. Hawkins is pure potential...4.3 speed and very little football experience (he didn't start playing until he was a junior in high school). I don't know anything about Campbell, but taking him in the 7th round doesn't bode well for him making the team. C/G Junius Coston (5th) and G Will Whitticker (7th) seem adequate offensive line prospects. I'm guessing Coston will make the team and Whitticker will end up being the next Bill Ferrario (remember him?). I'm pegging WW as a practice squad guy this year. I scratched my head about the two Wide Receiver picks... Terrence Murphy (2nd) and Craig Bragg (6th) are both speedy receivers with punt and kickoff return abilities. I think that's a good thing, since the Packers' return game has sucked for years. With doubts about Robert Ferguson's recovery from last year's neck injury and Javon Walker threatening to hold out for a new contract, suddenly the picks made more sense. I personally would have taken Florida's ILB Channing Crowder with the Murphy pick, but what the hell do I know? Jury's out... To bolster the front four, Green Bay drafted DE Brady Poppinga (4th) and DE/DT Mike Montgomery (6th). Poppinga intrigues me because of his age (25), maturity and life experience as a world traveler. I think he has a good shot of making the team...likely as a linebacker. Montgomery was a late bloomer, but also looks pretty solid. My only problem with him is that the Packers traded their original 6th round pick to the Raiders who took DT Antaaj Hawthorne from Wisconsin. Hawthorne was projected as a first rounder, then a second rounder, but his stock plummeted after he tested positive for Marijuana at the combine. The Raiders got a STEAL with Hawthorne, whom I'm almost positive will have a far better NFL career than Montgomery will. A real head scratcher here... Well, there you have it... My two (or five) cents. The Bears and Vikings both had great drafts this year. The Lions seemed to do okay. The days of the Black & Blue Division are coming back. It's going to be a dog fight this year and I'll bet the division champ has a 9-7 record. I guess we'll find out soon...but not soon enough! Start the season already! =)
As for draft grades. I like the Bears and Vikings at the top. The Vikings added Erasmus James who be the best DE of this class. Troy Williamson was not a good pick with Mike Williams out there though. Williamson might be more like Moss speed wise but the fact is he is not Moss. Williamson= Az Hakim. Mike Williams is a type of guy that will catch 10 plus TD's a year. With his size,hands, and verticle he is a great redzone tool. Ciatrick Fason might pan out in a couple of years as the starting runningback. Especially if Bennet remains injury prone. B+ The Bears added Benson. Benson is a nice pick but I like C. Williams out of the big 3. Reggie Bradley is a great pick as well. He will probably start along side of Muhammed this season. Both of those guys played on winning programs and were playmakers. Both will make nice impacts in the near future. B+ The Lions got the best offensive player in the draft at pick 10. Yes Mike Williams. If he was allowed to play he would of been a top 2 pick clear and cut. Oh but he sat out. Well he trained like no other and I doubt he forgot how to play football. Shaun Cody is a nice pick as well. He can be a great inside rusher that might end up starting next season for the young Lions. B The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers. At least they can say we tried to find a sucessor. Rodgers might work out nicely though. He is going to have the weapons around him to make plays in a year or two. Nick Collins has nice speed but he isn't that tall. I don't like the pick when he they can draft a Dan Cody. Terrance Murphy is a good pick with the hold out of Walker. He will be a 3 or 4 reciever for the Pack depending Walkers situation. C+
