Even during the dark times of the potential NFL lockout, draft prospects still looked promising as both sides remained positive there will be a season this year. If free agency started before this draft, I think things would have been a lot different. But it is what it is, so it started off at Radio City Music Hall with NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell getting booed and ended with many fans drooling at the chance to see such a talented draft pool on their squad next year.
While the media attention has been mostly on offensive and quarterbacks this year, the majority of teams took many of their picks the other way and possibly took notes about the one thing the Superbowl contending teams had in common – dominating defenses. Even though 6 out of the 10 first picks went offense, the rest of the board leaned heavily on D.
The Top Ten, but not the Ten Top..
Cameron Newton, the flashy quarterback from Auburn, was selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers. Cam led his Auburn Tigers to a national championship, despite some off the field issues, the Panthers believe that he will be the face of their franchise for years to come. With not much to choose from, and a shaky front line, Cam will probably be thrown to the wolves sooner than expected. Let’s hope for the best. He already says he has what Peyton Manning and Tom Brady never had – God gifted skill. This can be debated, but one thing is for certain – the kid is talented. I just hope he doesn’t go bust like quarterbacks of his caliber of the ghost of NFL past (Jamarcus“Sizzurp”Russel, Vince “The Tantrum” Young, Alex “The Overrated” Smith, etc.).
The third pick went to the Buffalo Bills and they brought in a BTP (Big Time Player) to help defend the run on Defense. MarcellDareus is 319 pounds of you-aint-getting-around me manhood that can play anywhere they decide to stick him on the defensive line. He would make a nice noseguard, then again after the year the Bills had they might consider trying him out as a kick returner. Ok, that was a joke. Dareus is not. One small piece to a very unorganized puzzle.
The fourth pick went to Cincinnatti who had a horrible year, even with two of the arguably best proven wide receivers in Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens. Also, their star quarterback Carson Palmer stated that he wanted to retire or be traded because of a frustrating season. With the lockouts, it was hard to tell Palmer’s intentions, so the Bengals looked more to the future and grabbed up A.J. Green, the best route runner in the draft this year. While Green isn’t going to break record speeds, he does have the tenacity to make sure he comes down with the jump ball and quick burst of speed to leave defensive coordinators shaking their head.
The fifth pick found a mixed up Arizona Cardinals team going Defense as well. It’s not that they didn’t need to fill other positions, it’s just.. well, corner back Patrick Peterson was just the best kid available. Peterson is as physical as an MMA fighter and has the smarts to cutoff some ill thrown passes.
The sixth pick was interesting, having the Cleveland Browns and their new staff decide to trade away possibly the best wide receiver in the draft to the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons got Julio Jones, who has the ability to stretch the field like silly putty and leave defenders in a dust. Once adapted into an offense, look for Jones to require double coverage and let their other prospects get a taste of the ball. His hands aren’t that great, but with some work he could be the perfect pick for the improving Falcons.
The seventh pick again found a team trying to D up. The San Francisco 49ers selected Aldon Smith, a monster Defensive End. One word comes to mind when talking about Smith – redirection. Just went you think Smith is going to try to beat his man on the outside he can quickly adjust and fire from a slingshot back inside to eat up any opposing quarterback with a misdirected running back. Again, a small piece to another veryunorganized puzzle. But this piece will be one to start solving the puzzle with.
The eight pick was somewhat of a surprise when the Tennessee Titans decided to use it to acquire quarterback Jake Locker. Even though he has all the physical attributes that will be needed, including a Macho Man Randy Savage arm, his inconsistent play has me wandering if he will be another clipboard holding high draft pick for most of his short lived career. Time will tell, but apparently the Titans felt they had the pieces in place including coaching and training staff to morph this quarterback from Washington into something special.
How ‘bout them Cowboys! The ninth pick was one most of America’s Team fans were waiting on, the Dallas Cowboys selected Tryon Smith ninth overall. Smith is a gifted offensive tackle from USC. Since the horrible place kick holding efforts of star Quarterback Tony Romo a few years ago, the Cowboys have been a mess. So much potential, but not bringing anything to the table. One main concern last year was that they lacked pass protection. They got that with their first pick in the draft with Tryon Smith. His foot speed is unmatched for a guy his size and he will be a good fit with the Cowboys.
Rounding out the top ten, Washington traded their pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville is another confused team, but they went with the quarterback from Missouri, Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert was arguably the most likely quarterback to transition perfectly into the next level. His physical attributes and current offense should be a nice fit. The offensive line is decent and a running game with Jones-Drew won’t hurt his chances at success at all. The only downfall is that Gabbert is going into a situation without a bunch of standout receivers and much to work with. Even though the Jaguars did eventually grab up Cecil Shorts III, the division III standout from Cleveland and the University of Mount Union, Gabbert will still need some help.
As I skim through reviews of experts, one thing I notice is the newly created draft report cards. Each team is given a grade based on how well they drafted compared to their needs. I find this interesting because teams like the New England Patriots got a D on most experts report cards, which has them looking like morons. Let’s face it; if you already have it, you already have it. How you rate teams with an uncertain situation at quarterback like the Cincinnati Bengals with a B, is beyond my comprehension. As the old adage goes, “Even D’s get degrees.”
As all of us fans continue to listen to the bickering between the owners and the player’s union, one thing is for certain – we are all excited to see how our newly acquired stars are going to fair. When the summer is over, the wind begins to chill in the air, and the first whistle is blown, the hairs stand up on the back of our necks and we get that big smile and warm sensation that we once grew up watching our dads have when football season starts. The same reason a guy works double shifts for two months straight so he can save up enough money to take his nine year old to 4 hours of an NFL game is the same reason we all wait on the edge of our seat until the day when it is announced that 2011-2012 season will be underway.
Even with all this turmoil, we still proudly wear our team’s colors, talk smack to anyone wearing our enemies t shirts, talk ‘when’ our draft pick gets to play – not ‘if’, and look forward to that first kickoff. Even in the darkest days, us fans continue stare hard at the front of that tunnel waiting for our favorite players to take the field. With this draft class, that day can’t come soon enough.
Prepared by JC Coulter for http://www.urbanmediatoday.com
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