USA Today backdraft

Discussion in 'NFL Draft' started by Brooksie5, Apr 18, 2007.

  1. Brooksie5

    Brooksie5 NFLC nflcentral.net Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>USA TODAY'S NFL BACKDRAFT 1. HOUSTON ? VINCE YOUNGQuarterback Picked in '06: Third ? by Tennessee Notes: New coach. New GM coming. New face of the franchise to completely change the team's identity and style. The hometown hero is the only player Texans fans will accept other than Reggie Bush.College: Texas 2. NEW ORLEANS ? REGGIE BUSHRunning back Picked in '06: Second ? by New Orleans Notes: The electrifying Bush could make the Saints offense quite potent. He'd be an excellent complement to Drew Brees and Deuce McAllister, if they return to their pre-injury forms, and may even spark a playoff run!College: Southern Cal 3. TENNESSEE ? MATT LEINARTQuarterback Picked in '06: 10th ? by Arizona Notes: Without Young arriving in Nashville, there would have been a huge void under center for the Titans. Remember, Kerry Collins started (and lost) Tennessee's first three games in 2006. Leinart's reunion with offensive coordinator Norm Chow places the 2005 Heisman finalists in the top three spots of the draft.College: Southern Cal 4. N.Y. JETS ? MARCUS MCNEILLTackle Picked in '06: 50th ? by San Diego Notes: Would the Jets have picked a running back here given the need in 2006? No. Eric Mangini is a nuts-and-bolts kind of coach, and surely would want to bolster what was a sagging offensive line entering 2006. Why not stick with D-Brickashaw Ferguson? He was solid, but McNeill was the class of the rookie offensive linemen.College: Auburn 5. GREEN BAY ? DEMECO RYANSLinebacker Picked in '06: 33rd ? by Houston Notes: The Alabama product slipped to the second round last year, but his rookie performance for the Texans (155 tackles ? good for second in the NFL) made him worthy of a Top 5 pick.College: Alabama 6. SAN FRANCISCO ? MARQUES COLSTONWide receiver Picked in '06: 252nd ? by New Orleans Notes: The failed experiment with Antonio Bryant aside, receiver was a big need for San Francisco entering last season. Colston, whom the Saints grabbed in the seventh round, fooled the draft experts after he led all rookies in receiving yards and touchdowns.College: Hofstra 7. OAKLAND ? A.J. HAWKLinebacker Picked in '06: Fifth ? by Green Bay Notes: NFL-ready when he left Ohio State, Hawk would step right into Oakland's defense, fill a glaring need and make an impact. He would become a cornerstone for the Silver & Black for the next decade.College: Ohio State 8. BUFFALO ? DONTE WHITNERSafety Picked in '06: Eighth ? by Buffalo Notes: The Bills have many needs, but Whitner's impact (he was second on the team with 104 tackles as a rookie) was too much to pass up for a secondary that craved an infusion of young talent.College: Ohio State 9. DETROIT? ERNIE SIMSLinebacker Picked in '06: Ninth ? by Detroit Notes: The Lions have needs everywhere, but plugging a defensive hole is probably wiser than drafting Jay Cutler as Jon Kitna's heir apparent. Detroit should have a shot at Brady Quinn in 2007 anyway.College: Florida State 10. ARIZONA ? JAY CUTLERQuarterback Picked in '06: 11th ? by Denver Notes: With Kurt Warner a short-term solution in the desert, a new signal caller was a necessity. Cutler might not have been able to save Dennis Green's job, but, with Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin among a talented offense, he would fit in well with new coach Ken Whisenhunt's rebuilding.College: Vanderbilt 11. DENVER ? TAMBA HALIDefensive end Picked in '06: 20th ? by Kansas City Notes: Taking Hali here would have improved an already quality defense and given the Broncos youth on the defensive line. It?s a pick that would have paid off in the present and future. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan wanted Cutler, but with the three best quarterbacks gone Denver must opt for help along the defensive line. Hali and his pass-rushing skills would provide that in droves.College: Penn State 12. BALTIMORE ? HALOTI NGATADefensive tackle Picked in '06: 12th ? by Baltimore Notes: The lone consensus pick among our analysts, Ngata was just what the doctor ? and Ray Lewis ? ordered. The beefy lineman ate up plenty of space in the middle, which freed Lewis, Ed Reed, Adalius Thomas and Co. to make plays for the defense.College: Oregon 13. CLEVELAND ? KAMERION WIMBLEYLinebacker Picked in '06: 13th ? by Cleveland Notes: A perfect addition for Romeo Crennel's 3-4 defense got to soak up all the knowledge free-agent acquisition Willie McGinest provided in 2006. The Browns might not scare most teams, but Wimbley will scare Carson Palmer and Ben Roethslisberger for a long time in the AFC North.College: Florida State 14. PHILADELPHIA ? MARIO WILLIAMSDefensive end Picked in '06: First ? by Houston Notes: The rich ? in this case the Eagles defensive line ? get richer. No, Philadelphia doesn't have a huge need here. But Andy Reid loves big bodies for the trenches. And while Williams may not have justified the top overall pick the Texans spent on him in 2006, he still looks like a disruptive defensive force who would cause problems for Eagles opponents for many years.College: N.C. State 15. ST. LOUIS ? TYE HILLCornberback Picked in '06: 15th ? by St. Louis Notes: Hill had his struggles (as most rookie cornerbacks do), but he was a good pick for St. Louis who should turn into a long-term starter at what was one of the Rams' weakest positions.College: Clemson 16. MIAMI ? D'BRICKASHAW FERGUSONTackle Picked in '06: Fourth ? by N.Y. Jets Notes: Really, how much further down the board could Ferguson fall? He may not have been as good as Marcus McNeill in his rookie season, and whether he'll be one of the league's top left tackles is up for debate. But he started 16 games for the Jets, and may still show why he was the top-rated offensive lineman entering the 2006 draft.College: Virginia 17. MINNESOTA? VERNON DAVISTight end Picked in '06: Sixth ? by San Francisco Notes: A leg injury kept Davis out of six games as a rookie and limited the impact he had with the 49ers. But he showed flashes of dominating the tight end position, and would be a major upgrade over the Jermaine Wiggins/Jim Kleinsasser rotation the Vikings used in 2006.College: Maryland 18. DALLAS ? DEVIN HESTERCornerback/kick returner Picked in '06: 57th ? by Chicago Notes: Hester may never be the shutdown corner that his mentor, Deion Sanders, was, but, like Prime Time, Hester would be able to add a lot of voltage to the Cowboys' special teams.College: Miami 19. SAN DIEGO ? RICHARD MARSHALLCornerback Picked in '06: 58th ? by Carolina Notes: Without Marcus McNeill, the Chargers would be looking for another offensive lineman. But they won't find one at this spot. And Marshall would provide the impact in his rookie season that Antonio Cromartie didn't.College: Fresno State 20. KANSAS CITY ? MARK ANDERSONDefensive end Picked in '06: 159th ? by Chicago Notes: The Chiefs got terrific production from Tamba Hali in 2006, and Anderson would give them a pass rusher who would serve just as ably as a bookend to Jared Allen. Anderson led all rookies with 12 sacks and showed a knack for disrupting the best-laid plans of opposing offensive lines.College: Alabama 21. NEW ENGLAND ? LAURENCE MARONEYRunning back Picked in '06: 21st ? by New England Notes: Makes sense to stick with the guy the Patriots took. They needed a running back to split time with Corey Dillon and eventually become the main back after Dillon retires/leaves for another team. His production justified New England?s pick.College: Minnesota 22. SAN FRANCISCO ? MANNY LAWSONLinebacker Picked in '06: 22nd ? by San Francisco Notes: Having addressed offense by picking Colston at No. 6, the 49ers can turn their attention to defense. And though his rookie season had plenty of bumps, Lawson looks like the type of defensive force the 49ers need for their 3-4 front.College: N.C. State 23. TAMPA BAY ? MATHIAS KIWANUKADefensive end Picked in '06: 32nd ? by N.Y. Giants Notes: Take your pick of the Bucs' many needs in this spot, but Kiwanuka (who had 53 tackes, four sacks and two interceptions for the Giants as a rookie) provides the best value to a beleagured defensive line that counted journeymen Chris Hovan and Greg Spires as starters in 2006.College: Boston College 24. CINCINNATI ? MICHAEL HUFFSafety Picked in '06: Seventh ? by Oakland Notes: A versatile defensive back who should play safety but is solid in coverage, Huff would bolster the Cincinnati secondary (which tied for last in pass defense in 2006) and give the Bengals a needed playmaker.College: Texas 25. PITTSBURGH ? NICK MANGOLDCenter Picked in '06: 29th ? by N.Y. Jets Notes: The Steelers have made a tradition out of their hard-nosed centers and Mangold would be a long-term answer, whereas last year's pick, Santonio Holmes, did little to distinguish himself.College: Ohio State 26. BUFFALO ? JAHRI EVANSGuard Picked in '06: 108th ? by New Orleans Notes: The Bills went out and signed three big (and expensive) offensive lineman in free agency this winter. But Evans, who turned out to be the best rookie guard in 2006, could have offered Buffalo youth and skill sooner and cheaper.College: Bloomsburg 27. CAROLINA ? MAURICE JONES-DREWRunning back Picked in '06: 60th? by Jacksonville Notes: The man they call MJD runs with authority and has a nose for the end zone (he scored 13 rushing touchdowns as a rookie). Both would help in Carolina, which scored only seven rushing touchdowns in 2006.College: UCLA 28. JACKSONVILLE ? JOSEPH ADDAIRunning back Picked in '06: 30th? by Indianapolis Notes: No Maurice Jones-Drew available for the Jaguars here. But Addai and the 1,081-rushing yard rookie season he had for the Super Bowl champions would complement the aging Fred Taylor (and the developing hole in the Jacksonville backfield) well.College: LSU 29. N.Y. JETS ? DEANGELO WILLIAMSRunning back Picked in '06: 27th ? by Carolina Notes: Would Mangini take a running back with his second pick in the first round of his first draft? Well, maybe if he knew his top running back entering the season (Curtis Martin) would likely never play again. Williams would have quickly emerged atop the Jets' carousel of tailbacks in 2006.College: Memphis 30. INDIANAPOLIS ? JERIOUS NORWOODRunning back Picked in '06: 79th ? by Atlanta Notes: With Edgerrin gone, it comes down to which premier backs remain on the board. Norwood would not have been as good as Addai, but he would be good enough to form a potent duo with Dominic Rhodes. Can you say breakaway threat?College: Mississippi State 31. SEATTLE ? JOHNATHAN JOSEPHCornerback Picked in '06: 24th ? by Cincinnati Notes: Joseph proved he could start and contribute as a rookie, which is more than the Seahawks can say about their first-round cornerback from 2006, Kelly Jennings.College: South Carolina 32. N.Y. GIANTS ? SANTONIO HOLMESWide receiver Picked in '06: 25th ? by Pittsburgh Notes: A disruptive force along the defensive line (Brodrick Bunkley?) would help here. But the aging receiving corps needs more urgent attention. Holmes' kick return abilities also would be valuable in New</div>http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nf...ft_N.htm?csp=34Kind of an interesting read.
     
  2. AdropOFvenom

    AdropOFvenom BBW Member

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    Hindsight is always 20/20, but I hate things like this because it's not realistic. Nobody was considering Marques Colston as a Top 10 Pick, or even a Day 1 pick. Yet this is suggesting they should have selected him 6th overall. Hell, I was probably his biggest supporter and I thought he should have gone in the 4th Round. Not to mention, I'd have gone with Cutler to the Jets at 4 (or Preferrably via a Trade Down). Then again, I said that before the NFL Draft too. [​IMG]
     

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