Football season is a lot like politics.. Every new cycle is greeted with great anticipation, you pick a running mate, then you undergo a series of tests. But, fate deals a cold hand, and there can only be one winner at the end. Of course, if you're running for City Council, you can finish second and still achieve the goal. If this sounds like a harsh, cocky assessment from a guy who's team won the Super Bowl last year, we're guilty as charged. It's not easy up here at the top of the mountain....
For a lot of teams, the draft is the first step. Why? It's the easiest way to fix a need... You need a QB? Draft one. Short on the D-Line? Pick three in the next few rounds... Of course, the allure is that finding that gem in the 5th round is a lot cheaper than signing that established free agent (who might be past his prime). High risk, high reward...
Of course, every year, there are lots of guys who are NFL ready in the Draft's first round, so the ability to fill that need should be easy, right? Nope... Don't ask us why, but some teams listen to the hype, or get so adorned on a certain player that they draft him in the first round, when the rest of the league has him in the third round. Or like Mike Ditka, they give up every pick for one guy... No guy is worth an entire draft, but NFL GM's still do dumb things. Let's see a few observations, not necessarily all bad.
That QB's Gotta Be Number One.
We will say without a doubt, Andrew Luck is the class of the draft, and the most NFL ready. Strong armed, accurate and mobile, he reminds us of another Number 12 who played college ball in California - Aaron Rodgers. The problem with drafting a QB first, is makes the other teams look for the second best QB available - and they move up. That brings us to Robert Griffin III. The question mark is that RG3 is in the dreaded second spot of the Top Two picks being QB's. Five times, the number one QB made the Super Bowl. Only one Number Two has - Donovan McNabb. Others on that list make us cringe: Rick Mirer. Ryan Leaf. Griffin has skills like McNabb, Michael Vick and Cam Newton - he throws better than Vick, and is faster than Newton and McNabb. But, he looks less solid than all three, and he has NO weapons. Newton had Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams. Seeing Griffin running around like a chicken with his head cut off could be a real possibility..
As much question as Griffin might be (some), it's nothing compared to the Dolphins choosing Ryan Tannehill at Number 8, and Cleveland picking 28 yr old Brandon Weedon at Number 22. One is too inexperinced, the other too old - can you say Chris Weinke? Cleveland better hope Weedon can overtake Colt McCoy immediately, or it is a wasted pick, unlike their top choice of Trent Richardson, who will be awesome. They could have found a receiver at that spot for the next ten years.. Tannehill is a project, but 2012 is doubtful for him. Matt Moore gets the call for one more year - and P-Luv's Fish suck another year...
Any Doubt the SEC Has the Most Talent?
With nine first round picks, it's pretty safe to say that the SEC ruled the talent pool this year, including two from South Carolina. Stephon Gilmore rose up after the combine, and went early to Buffalo. Bring a heavy jacket, my friend. The one of the big suprises of the first round was Melvin Ingram's drop to San Diego. Yeah, he is at that tweener weight, and lacks the height of a premier pass rusher, but the guy is a player, and the Chargers got a nice pick - and Ingram is gonna love the mild Cali weather..
The Rams Are Still the Rams...
Stuck with the number two pick, and already having a franchise QB and RB, the Rams did what initially was a good idea - they swapped picks with Washington. The problem was they dropped to number six - then let everyone know who they wanted: WR Justin Blackmon. There is an old saying in negotitating - He Who Talks First Loses. They moved way too early, and Jacksonville - who also needed a WR, came in and swiped Blackmon from under them. They traded again, and ended up at Number 14 with Michael Brockers, at DT who has TWO career sacks at LSU. Another Glenn Dorsey? We'll see...
And the Seahawks Pick.... Jeff Lageman !
Don't know Lageman? He was a pick from the Jets about 20 years ago. He was rated as a 3rd rounder, but for some reason, the Jets HAD to have him, and took their 1st round pick on him - and he was a total bust. The Seahawks seemed to have repeated it last night by selecting West Virginia's Bruce Irvin, a JUCO transfer who's had some legal problems in the past. He looks fast and nasty on film, but he is a sole pass rusher. Will he be a Warren Sapp or Randy Moss - or a Lawrence Phillips? We'll see..
Don't Mess With Bill Belichick
For a guy who's picked at Number 28 the past dozen years, Belichick always seems to find quality picks by trading around. He started out at numbers 27 and 31, yet somehow ended up at 21 and 25, and got rusher Chandler Jones and LB Donta Hightower. He now has six rounds to find another rusher and maybe some secondary help to find the four points he needed to win the Super Bowl last year...
Will we review the other six rounds? Hell no - we won't know any of these guys probably, but these are the rounds that actually make a great team. I'd say anyone can pick a first rounder - but apparently, that doesn't appear to be the case.
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