Indy, San Diego, and Pittsburgh

[JoePats]

No wonder why these teams are always at or near the top of the standings. They almost always draft very well. No difference this year either...

Indy got at least one future starter on their OL to go with Ugoh who is only in his 2nd year. Howard is a perfect end for them, more speed to go with Freeney. Hart will be a pain in the neck. The replace Utecht and add a good OLB. Very good as usual.

San Diego didn't have that many picks but Cason was an excellent pick and Hester steps in and replaces Neal. They didn't really have that many needs or open spots.

Pittsburgh gets a top-20 pick at 23, and now they have two good RBs with Parker coming off a serious injury. And then they stay and get a tall receiver Sweed, an OL, which they needed, another pass rusher in Davis, and Antwan-Randle-El in Dixon.

Again, it's no wonder why these teams are always good and except for Pitt in 2006 are basically always in the playoffs along with the Pats. I liked what the Pats did, have no real problem with it, but I just wanted to point out that our top opponents continue to draft well.

I also thought the Giants did a very nice job after all 8 of their draft picks made their club last year.

 

[mgteich]

Hester should have been ours. A plus for us, a negative for San Diego.

No wonder why these teams are always at or near the top of the standings. They almost always draft very well. No difference this year either...

Indy got at least one future starter on their OL to go with Ugoh who is only in his 2nd year. Howard is a perfect end for them, more speed to go with Freeney. Hart will be a pain in the neck. The replace Utecht and add a good OLB. Very good as usual.

San Diego didn't have that many picks but Cason was an excellent pick and Hester steps in and replaces Neal. They didn't really have that many needs or open spots.

Pittsburgh gets a top-20 pick at 23, and now they have two good RBs with Parker coming off a serious injury. And then they stay and get a tall receiver Sweed, an OL, which they needed, another pass rusher in Davis, and Antwan-Randle-El in Dixon.

Again, it's no wonder why these teams are always good and except for Pitt in 2006 are basically always in the playoffs along with the Pats. I liked what the Pats did, have no real problem with it, but I just wanted to point out that our top opponents continue to draft well.

I also thought the Giants did a very nice job after all 8 of their draft picks made their club last year.

 

[upstater1]

Hard for me to say any of these teams did well.

How do you know Hart or Limas Sweed will pan out?

It's not beyond Pittsburgh to select a bust at WR obviously, they have taken plenty of them.

I'll have to wait and see.

Cason to San Diego was the only thing that gave me pause.

No matter what anyone says though I think Kansas City did make out like bandits as both of the top 2 players fell almost in Wilfork like fashion.

 

[DarrylS]

Why do people get all worked up over the draft, at best it is a crap shoot.. if you read this post and other posts it is intimated that we did not do well, the reality is that no one really knows how anyone did until at least two seasons from now.. one player might make a huge impact, see Patrick Willis, but in reality he played for a crappy team.. if he was a Patriot he would be in the rotation..

 

[Jimke]

No wonder why these teams are always at or near the top of the standings. They almost always draft very well. No difference this year either...

Indy got at least one future starter on their OL to go with Ugoh who is only in his 2nd year. Howard is a perfect end for them, more speed to go with Freeney. Hart will be a pain in the neck. The replace Utecht and add a good OLB. Very good as usual.

San Diego didn't have that many picks but Cason was an excellent pick and Hester steps in and replaces Neal. They didn't really have that many needs or open spots.

Pittsburgh gets a top-20 pick at 23, and now they have two good RBs with Parker coming off a serious injury. And then they stay and get a tall receiver Sweed, an OL, which they needed, another pass rusher in Davis, and Antwan-Randle-El in Dixon.

Again, it's no wonder why these teams are always good and except for Pitt in 2006 are basically always in the playoffs along with the Pats. I liked what the Pats did, have no real problem with it, but I just wanted to point out that our top opponents continue to draft well.

I also thought the Giants did a very nice job after all 8 of their draft picks made their club last year.

The teams you mention are the best in the business. They make up
for free agency losses by shrewd drafting.

The Pats are not quite as good but make up the difference by picking
up good free agents and by trading.

 

[BradyToMoss]

Not impressed at all with Indy's draft, they really need to start developing a young WR to take over for Marvin and start thinking about what the Patriots are already doing and that is thinking about the day that Goober 18 either gets injured or retires, he's no spring chicken. The Pats have addressed that with Kevin O'Connell who has all the tools to step in after he gets his seasoning.

Indy better watch out, with Jax having those 2 edge rushers now with Groves and Harvey Goober 18 will be forced to hit the road and tuck early and often. I see the Jags winning that division.

I was much more impressed with Pitt's draft. Sweed is that tall, stud redzone guy that they have desperatly been looking for ever since they made the mistake of letting Plaxico walk off into the sunset. And Mendenhall and Parker will be a tremendous 2 headed threat for them. That team is loaded, they are 1 or 2 o-lineman away from elite status.

SD did what they had to do, but it cost them and we'll now have the ammo to make some hay in the 09 draft with their #2 pick. Cason and Cromartie will be a great pair of corners and Weddle grabs the full time saftey spot, they look good.

 

[kkpat]

The teams you mention are the best in the business. They make up
for free agency losses by shrewd drafting.

The Pats are not quite as good but make up the difference by picking
up good free agents and by trading.

No one in the 2007 draft made the team except the first rounder. But then, we did not have 2nd and 3rd rounders because of off-season trades. Since we had only 4th and 5th rounder, we probably did OK.

I have a feeling that BB/Pioli would only trade few positions here and there instead of packaging picks and significantly move to higher rounds to grab a better player they covet than wait for someone to fall into our lap.

If they coveted Cason or DRC as CB, would they have risked packaging one 2nd and two 3rd round picks to 1st round and get them. Just want to know if they are quantity value guys or quality guys.

I hope and think that this year all our top 5 guys make them team.

 

[BradyFTW!]

That later-round pick don't make the Pats' roster says less about a lack of skill in drafting and more about a high level of skill in free agency. It could just as easily be that these guys aren't making the Pats' roster because cracking our rotation is much harder than it is for any other team in the league.

 

[bbabin]

That later-round pick don't make the Pats' roster says less about a lack of skill in drafting and more about a high level of skill in free agency. It could just as easily be that these guys aren't making the Pats' roster because cracking our rotation is much harder than it is for any other team in the league.

I agree with this and I think BBSP took this into consideration in drafting this year (not implying that they don't every year...). There is a strong case for almost every one of our draft picks to make this team in some way, despite the already high overall quality of the team. It's hard to have a bunch of picks and hope for a "steal" in the later rounds, when you don't have the roster space to keep all but a few of your picks (see last year).

 

[Metaphors]

Not impressed with Indy at all, but that could be more philosophy than the actual players selected. I like Pollack as a center, but not a guard. Wheeler is fine where he was drafted. Tamme is a one-trick pony and they have that trick covered with Clark. Howard is a good sized safety but is puny for a DE. As for Hart, Polian described him as a James Mungro type of back. That was the best he could come up with? I actually like Santi and Justice, but they already drafted those positions earlier.

Cason should do well for SD but Hester is not even close to Lorenzo Neal. Neal in his prime hit like a guard and ran like a ... well, like a fast guard. Hester may be able to run through a hole, but he ain't creatin' one.

Pitt got some guys slipping, but I wonder why they slipped past teams with needs at those positions. If there are no issues, agree they got good value. Like Davis and Hills for the Steelers specifically, but Dixon is more Kordell Stewart and less Randel El (still thinks he is a QB).

The Giants did well just sitting and picking off who fell to them. Still have questions about their lines (which they didn't address) but champs get the benefit of the doubt.

 

[upstater1]

Three things:

1. if you look at this year's Pats roster, you can see the team has thinned out some. There's a good chance for all our draftees to make it but Ruud.

2. Big WRs are likelier to bust than smaller 5'11 types. If you were succesful in college at that height and smaller, it's probably because you were quick and were a good route runner, and that translates to the NFL. The big guys get away with things in college that they would never get away with in the NFL. Calvin Johnson was decent in his first year, but in college the guy was unstoppable. Mike Williams and Rogers were good, David Terrell, et.c All these big guys flamed out big time in the NFL.

3. When Belichick said last year that Samuel was a product of the system, you have to know that he's pretty confident he can take a kid with good fundamentals and mold him into a top flight CB. You can't teach good instincts and good hips, never mind speed. When I saw that DRC video during the draft, my eyes bugged out. The kid is incredibly raw and seemed to make a bad decision on each and every play they showed. He could never play in the Patriots' system. This system takes smart kids with good instincts and puts them into position to excel. How else did Randall Gay sign a decent contract this offseason? If he had signed as a UDFA with any other team 3 years ago, he would have been out of the league by now.

 

[workhorse]

Not impressed at all with Indy's draft, they really need to start developing a young WR to take over for Marvin and start thinking about what the Patriots are already doing and that is thinking about the day that Goober 18 either gets injured or retires, he's no spring chicken. The Pats have addressed that with Kevin O'Connell who has all the tools to step in after he gets his seasoning.

Indy better watch out, with Jax having those 2 edge rushers now with Groves and Harvey Goober 18 will be forced to hit the road and tuck early and often. I see the Jags winning that division.

I feel pretty good about the Colts draft. Their first round pick started most of the year as their starting left tackle last year. The three centers provide much need depth on the interior of the line. They got hit with some injurie last year and the lack of depth was apparent. Pollak with be in the mix for a starting position at guard. All three were in the top 5 or 6 centers in the draft and good technique guys and should be able to adjust under Howard Mudd. The Colts needed should depth at TE after letting Utecht walk. Tamme gives them a receiving TE like Clark while Santi is more of a blocker. Wheeler has a ton of potential and Marcus Howard is a Mathis clone. When it comes to WR Pierre Garcon is one of those guys that could be a diamond in the rough. Dude had 60 TDs catches. I think the Colts are satisfied with their receivers on the roster and the lack of a high pick shows they are confident in Marvin's recovery.

Polian tends to draft a year or two ahead, just look at they number of players they let walk away in free agency and they are replaced by a young guy already on the roster.

 

[BradyToMoss]

I feel pretty good about the Colts draft. Their first round pick started most of the year as their starting left tackle last year. The three centers provide much need depth on the interior of the line. They got hit with some injurie last year and the lack of depth was apparent. Pollak with be in the mix for a starting position at guard. All three were in the top 5 or 6 centers in the draft and good technique guys and should be able to adjust under Howard Mudd. The Colts needed should depth at TE after letting Utecht walk. Tamme gives them a receiving TE like Clark while Santi is more of a blocker. Wheeler has a ton of potential and Marcus Howard is a Mathis clone. When it comes to WR Pierre Garcon is one of those guys that could be a diamond in the rough. Dude had 60 TDs catches. I think the Colts are satisfied with their receivers on the roster and the lack of a high pick shows they are confident in Marvin's recovery.

Polian tends to draft a year or two ahead, just look at they number of players they let walk away in free agency and they are replaced by a young guy already on the roster.

You like your draft huh?, I'm not surprised, if Polian drafted 10 - 7th round D2 kids only, you would have like that simply because it's Polian. When you compare it to the competition, that being (NE, Jax, Pitt and SD) you're draft comes in 5th.

 

[MooMooCow]

How many years has it been that Jacksonville is supposed to win that division? It seems like every year. I wonder why they can never close the deal.

 

[jarnhestur]

Contrary to my desire, Indy always drafts well. You have to give them the benefit of doubt in their drafts as they are one of the most consistant performers on draft day.

 

[Cartwright]

You like your draft huh?, I'm not surprised, if Polian drafted 10 - 7th round D2 kids only, you would have like that simply because it's Polian. When you compare it to the competition, that being (NE, Jax, Pitt and SD) you're draft comes in 5th.

Same for any team, isn't it?? Funny how Pats moved down, Rivers was selected, and all the sudden Mayo was the targeted guy all along. Your QB, while maybe NFL caliber, is a wasted pick. He'll never see the field enough to add value, and if he truely is a starter, it won't ever be with NE. Pitt did well, IMO. Jax is a wash with what they lost, and I still don't think they have enough talent in their receiving corps. Also, when your first pick is number 59, hard to compare with teams that may have already selected twice by the time you selcted once.

 

[BradyFTW!]

To the above poster:
For a full day before the draft, it was being reported that Mayo was the guy that the Pats were after. That's why we believe it.

All in all, I'm a big fan of Pitt's and Indy's drafts. I think they both got great value at their picks while also filling needs. San Diego, I'm not so sure. Not necessarily saying that it's a bad draft, but I'm not sure one way or the other that it will upgrade their team, now or in the near future.

 

[Cartwright]

To the above poster:
For a full day before the draft, it was being reported that Mayo was the guy that the Pats were after. That's why we believe it.

All in all, I'm a big fan of Pitt's and Indy's drafts. I think they both got great value at their picks while also filling needs. San Diego, I'm not so sure. Not necessarily saying that it's a bad draft, but I'm not sure one way or the other that it will upgrade their team, now or in the near future.

Cool. So, because it was reported they were interested, that makes it so. No doubt, they could have been. But I wouldn't necessarily take the "reports" word for it. After all, Colts fans claim Addai was our man the whole way, while Pat fans like to think they stole Maroney out from underneath them.

 

[Dino 6 Rings]

To the above poster:
For a full day before the draft, it was being reported that Mayo was the guy that the Pats were after. That's why we believe it.

All in all, I'm a big fan of Pitt's and Indy's drafts. I think they both got great value at their picks while also filling needs. San Diego, I'm not so sure. Not necessarily saying that it's a bad draft, but I'm not sure one way or the other that it will upgrade their team, now or in the near future.

Thanks for the Props to the Steelers. Lots of Steelers fans were screaming for OL help, but with the 23rd pick and not wanting to mortgage our future, we stayed put and took the best player on our board. Sure, we could use a Tackle, who couldn't, but with a Center FA Signing, and some younger guys on the roster, our O-line should be improved. I'm happy with our draft. Love the Sweed kid from Texas, he'll be a viable #3, which we've been missing for a while now. Mendenhall will get snaps late in games, but we did sign Moore from Minnesota to be our 3rd down back and hands out of the backfield this season. We'll see if Mendenhall has what it takes to be a good rookie back.

I don't bother watching the Pats on draft day. It seems whatever they touch is usually gold rounds 1 - 3. They have a way of reloading, every year, and addressing needs each season. I'm sure they'll be right there, winning the AFC East...again...and right there in my way come playoff time.

 

[DFWChargerFan]

Not impressed with Indy at all, but that could be more philosophy than the actual players selected. I like Pollack as a center, but not a guard. Wheeler is fine where he was drafted. Tamme is a one-trick pony and they have that trick covered with Clark. Howard is a good sized safety but is puny for a DE. As for Hart, Polian described him as a James Mungro type of back. That was the best he could come up with? I actually like Santi and Justice, but they already drafted those positions earlier.

Cason should do well for SD but Hester is not even close to Lorenzo Neal. Neal in his prime hit like a guard and ran like a ... well, like a fast guard. Hester may be able to run through a hole, but he ain't creatin' one.

Pitt got some guys slipping, but I wonder why they slipped past teams with needs at those positions. If there are no issues, agree they got good value. Like Davis and Hills for the Steelers specifically, but Dixon is more Kordell Stewart and less Randel El (still thinks he is a QB).

The Giants did well just sitting and picking off who fell to them. Still have questions about their lines (which they didn't address) but champs get the benefit of the doubt.

I don't think Hester was so much a replacement for Neal, as he was for Michael Turner. LT isn't getting any younger, and I think he will be a solid backup with a significant amount of reps.

I'm very happy with the Cason acquisition - Cason, Cromartie and Weddle should be a force to be reckoned with.

What I'm not happy about, as are most Charger fans, is the fact that we did not pick up a solid OT. We are definitely lacking at depth in our O-line, and if someone like McNeil goes down, we're in trouble big time.

PS - nice pickup on Mayo, that guy is a BEAST!! Surely a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year, IMO.