On Monday, I dissected the top picks of the NFC East and NFC North. We learned that the Giants did well, improving on a team that won its division last year, and the Packers took the first step down the long road to rebuilding their franchise in the post-apocalypic, post-Brett Favre era that will begin in 2007.
Today, we continue our draft review with a look at the new initiates of the AFC East and North.
AFC EAST
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
LAURENCE MARONEY, RB, MINNESOTA (1ST ROUND, 21ST PICK)
CHAD JACKSON, WR, FLORIDA (2ND ROUND, 36TH PICK)
DAVE THOMAS, TE, TEXAS (3RD ROUND, 86TH PICK)
I may be on drugs here, but didn’t the Patriots defense rank 30th in yards per pass attempt last season? Didn’t the team expected to be their stiffest competition in their division just add the deep-armed Daunte Culpepper as their quarterback? Didn’t they just cut their second leading pass rusher and replace him with nobody?
Yes, all of these things are true. And yet, the Patriots chose to use all of their first three picks to add offensive depth, rather than bolster a questionable defense. Maroney chose to forgo his senior year at Minnesota to enter the draft. He comes to the Patriots with a reputation for not running hard on every play. He is big and strong though, and also is dangerous as a receiver. The Patriots made this selection with the idea that Maroney and Corey Dillon will split carries this year, since Dillon’s mileage and subpar performance last season suggests his remaining time as an NFL running back is short.
In the second round, the Pats moved to respond to the loss of David Givens by choosing Jackson, an underclassman receiver from Florida. Jackson’s speed is only decent, but he is pretty good at what he does. He’s strong enough to go over the middle, has excellent hands, and can make things happen after the catch. So, can Jackson replace Givens this season? Tom Brady weighed in on that question this week, telling reporters, “To expect Chad Jackson to be David Givens, I don’t think that’s fair to Chad. David’s an awesome player.”
Dave Thomas may need to eat some more Wendy’s hamburgers. He’s an undersized tight end. He does have good receiving skills though and had a knack with the Longhorns for picking up first downs in key situations.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
JASON ALLEN, CB, TENNESSEE (1ST ROUND, 16TH PICK)
DEREK HAGAN, WR, ARIZONA ST. (3RD ROUND, 82ND PICK)
With longtime corner Sam Madison leaving via free agency this offseason, the Dolphins felt a little bit exposed at that position. To that end, they selected Jason Allen with the 16th pick, and he will be given the opportunity to compete for a starting job this summer. That job could be at corner, or it could even be at safety. Allen is one of those guys that has the physical tools to play either position. He’s big and physical, but there are concerns about him due to a hip injury. He also apparently has some trouble running backwards. Which I guess isn’t a good thing if you’re a corner. In a division devoid of any real stud receivers, he’s a good fit. He can cover and add run support.
Hagan is an intriguing prospect at wide receiver. He’s got great size and even better hands. His speed, however, is not great, and it’s the reason he slipped to the third round. With the Dolphins though, he will be a nice weapon to have, because they already have a couple of big play receivers in Chris Chambers and Marty Booker, so Hagan could develop into a nice option as a possession receiver.
BUFFALO BILLS
DONTE WHITNER, S, OHIO STATE (1ST ROUND, 8TH PICK)
JOHN MCCARGO, DT, NC STATE (1ST ROUND, 26TH PICK)
ASHTON YOUBOTY, CB, OHIO STATE (3RD ROUND, 70TH PICK)
The Bills were pretty roundly crucified for using the 8th pick in the draft to take Donte Whitner, who a lot of draft magazines had going in the late 1st or second round. To that, I say, I’m sure anybody in the Bills organization can go to Borders, pick up a draft magazine, and see that Whitner is certainly not a projected top 10 pick. They’re not idiots. They wouldn’t have made the pick if they didn’t see something in Whitner that they thought would help them.
What I think the Bills see in Whitner is a player who they think can be the type of safety that Mike Brown is for the Chicago Bears. The knock on Whitner is he lacks size, and the same can be said about Brown. Whitner is a smart player like Brown is, and can make big plays at times. The Bills have a great building block for a good secondary with stud corner Nate Clements, and by taking Whitner they hope that they can free up Clements to make more difference making plays.
The Bills defense ranked 29th in the league last year in rushing yards per attempt, so help in the interior of the defensive line was a must. They addressed that need late in the first round by selecting John McCargo. McCargo is an underclassman, and missed the end of last season with a leg injury, so he’s going to need a lot of polishing. There is no denying his ability though. He’s got excellent size and quickness, and has the potential to develop into a top tier defensive tackle in the NFL.
Youboty gives the Bills depth at a position they are strong at, corner. Nate Clements and Terrence McGee are both solid there, but with a third round pick it doesn’t hurt to take a player that can add to your strength at that position. He’s a good athlete who plays hard, and is solid in pretty much all the areas a corner is graded on.
NY JETS
D’BRICKASHAW FERGUSON, OT, VIRGINIA (1ST ROUND, 4TH PICK)
NICK MANGOLD, C, OHIO ST. (1ST ROUND, 29TH PICK)
KELLEN CLEMENS QB, OREGON (2ND ROUND, 49TH PICK)
ANTHONY SCHLEGEL, ILB, OHIO ST. (3RD ROUND, 76TH PICK)
ERIC SMITH, S, MICHIGAN ST. (3RD ROUND, 97TH PICK)
The Jets need a lot of help. But they realize that, and getting 5 day one picks is a good place to let the healing begin.
It’s hard to say anything bad about their first round strategy. 40% of their offensive line would seem to be pretty much set for the next 10 years if they can keep Ferguson and Mangold under contract.
Ferguson has a tall, lean build. Some scouts think it may take him a year or two to morph from a dominant college tackle into a dominant NFL tackle, but there is little doubt that the transition will be made. The word on Ferguson technique-wise is that he has great feet, but doesn’t use his hands as effectively as he should. Still, all the tools for a great career are there. He’s as close to a can’t miss prospect as you can get.
Mangold has the quickness and the brains to be a good starting center in the League. Most think he’s going to have to bulk up to fill that role though. Again, he will have a learning curve as his body matures and his technique grows into his body, but most agree that he can be long term starter.
I have to question the Jets taking a quarterback in the second round. If I were them, I would have upgraded a pass rush that ranked 25th in the NFL in sacks last year, and lost it’s leading sackman to boot. Instead they’ve got somebody that will be their 3rd string quarterback this year. I no understand.
Anthony Schlegel has major questions about his athleticism. He can be effective against the run, but brings nothing to the table as a pass rusher or as someone who can cover outlet receivers.
The Jets aren’t especially loaded with talent at the safety position (they’re starting a 5th round pick from 05, and a 4th round pick from 04), so they are hoping that Eric Smith can eventually evolve into a starter. He’s a lunch pail guy who plays hard and doesn’t make big mistakes, but like, Dieter’s monkey Klaus, he is limited.
AND THE WINNER IS…
It’s clear the Jets had the strongest draft of anyone in the AFC East. They needed it too. The way to pull a team out of the abyss is to start by building on the lines, and they definitely did that by getting a top flite tackle and center in the first round. I’m not crazy about what they did after the first round, but Ferguson and Mangold are great additions.
AFC NORTH
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
SANTONIO HOLMES, WR, OHIO STATE (1ST ROUND, 25TH PICK)
ANTHONY SMITH, S, SYRACUSE (3RD ROUND, 83RD PICK)
WILLIE REID, WR, FLORIDA ST. (3RD ROUND, 95TH PICK)
The Steelers wisely let the Redskins pay Antwaan Randle El a bajillion dollars for his 500 yards and 2 TDs this spring, then simply traded up a few spots in the first round to ensure that they got a receiver who won’t only be an adequate replacement, but probably an upgrade. Santonio Holmes is a big play threat who can get open downfield, and has fantastic hands. The only knock on him is his lack of size, but the Steelers are drafting him to run past corners, not outjump them. The pendulum is swinging away from the long tall Randy Moss type receivers in recent years, and towards the smaller guys like Steve Smith, who Holmes could very well end up being a similar player to.
Anthony Smith has good speed for a safety, and may be useful as a nickel or dime back. He was dinged in the draft though, for playing with a laissez-faire approach toward tackling. He will try to work his way up to the depth chart to be a backup safety. Reid is fast, and was drafted to be a punt returner. The Steelers hope he will replace the value they lost in that role with the departure of Randle El.
CINCINNATI BENGALS
JOHNATHAN JOSEPH, CB, SOUTH CAROLINA (1ST ROUND, 24TH PICK)
ANDREW WHITWORTH, OT, LSU (2ND ROUND, 55TH PICK)
FROSTEE RUCKER, DE, USC, (3RD ROUND, 91ST PICK)
There aren’t enough picks in the draft to give the Bengals all the help they need on defense. They were bad against the run last year, bad against the pass, and really bad at getting any kind of pass rush.
Johnathan Joseph is an underclassman, and probably will have to spend a year as a backup before he’s ready to be a starter. He’s athletic and has good speed, and good enough size. He’ll probably be a pretty solid NFL corner. But he’s not going to help the Bengals this season. The team ahead of them in the AFC North drafted someone who will, as did the other two teams in their division. So the Bengals lose here.
The Bengals second round pick makes no sense to me. They have two top shelf tackles already in Levi Jones and Willie Anderson. So they use a second round pick to take a depth tackle, and one about whom there are lot of questions about whether he can play at an NFL level. Whitworth played very well at LSU. His measurables are not good though. Scouts say he’s too big and slow to be a tackle, and not big enough to be a guard. With as bad as the Bengals are on defense, EVERY day one pick should have been on that side of the ball.
Frostee’s a jolly happy soul. He has a button nose, and two eyes made out of coal. He also struggles to get around offensive tackles, and won’t help the Bengals pass rush. He’s pretty good against the run though, and will provide Cincy with some D line depth.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
HALOTI NGATA, DT, OREGON (1ST ROUND, 12TH PICK)
CHRIS CHESTER, C, OKLAHOMA (2ND ROUND, 56TH PICK)
DAVID PITTMAN, CB, NW STATE (3RD ROUND, 87TH PICK)
The Ravens’ biggest acquisition came yesterday. That is when it was announced that longtime Titan QB, and 2003 co-NFL MVP Steve McNair will be headed to Baltimore. Thus ends the long Kyle Boller induced malaise this franchise has been in for the last three seasons.
They have to be happy with their top draft pick too. The Ravens traded up to land Haloti Ngata, a massive defensive tackle with exceptional strength. He’s in same mold as Ted Washington and Tony Siragusa. The Ravens defense works best when they have big tackle to take up blockers and allow Ray Lewis to make plays. Ngata should fill that role perfectly.
Last season the Ravens weren’t able to fill in the hole left at center left by the departure of Casey Rabach. They moved to remedy that problem in the second round by drafting Chris Chester. Chester was a reserve tight end at Oklahoma for three seasons, then converted to being an interior lineman last year, and now finds himself in the unlikely position of not only being a second round draft choice, but possibly a starter on an NFL team this season. He’s an unlikely second round pick, and an unlikely story. At least two major draft publications didn’t even have him listed amongst the 350+ draft prospects they graded.
Pittman is a small school corner who scouts think will be able to hang with pro receivers speed wise, but may struggle against more physical wideouts because he is undersized. The Ravens already have a pair of solid corners in Samari Rolle and Chris McAllister, so Pittman will only be required to learn and provided depth this year, and probably get a little bigger and stronger.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
KAMERION WIMBLEY, DE, FLORIDA STATE (1ST ROUND, 13TH PICK)
D’QWELL JACKSON, ILB, MARYLAND (2ND ROUND, 34TH PICK)
TRAVIS WILSON, WR, OKLAHOMA (3RD ROUND, 78TH PICK)
After ranking dead last in the league in sacks last season, the Browns needed to upgrade their pass rush any way they could. They took a step in that direction in free agency, signing former Pats LB Willie McGinest, and found a complementary OLB for their 3-4 defense in the first round by drafting Wimbley. He was a defensive end at FSU, but is probably too small to play that position in the pros. He’s got the agility to play linebacker in the Browns scheme though, and gives them such much needed speed on defense.
The Browns went back to the linebacker well in the second round, as they continue to acquire pieces so coach Romeo Crennel can build a unit similar to what he had when he was New England’s defensive coordinator. He doesn’t have eye popping physical tools, but he’s a smart player. Dare I say, a New England-type player.
In round 3, Cleveland moved to add depth to a position that they are weak at, wide receiver. Joe Jurevicius and Braylon Edwards will be the starters this season, but the Browns hope that Travis Wilson can fill the #3 role. He’s the same body type as Edwards and Jurevicius, long and lanky. He projects as a possession receiver who can also return kicks.
AND THE WINNER IS….
The Super Bowl champs let their #2 receiver walk rather than overpaying him, then they went out and made a trade to grab the top wideout in the draft to replace him, at a much lower price tag. The genius of this move alone gives them the edge here.
THAT’S A WRAP
OK we’re halfway through our draft recap!
If you haven’t already, go check out Patrick’s IP Sports Radio for this week. I hear there’s a really intelligent, sexy man as his guest this week.
You won’t have to wait long to get your next piece of this 4 part series. Monday I will put on my scuba gear and dive into the drafts of the NFC South and West squads. Until then.
