Haynie
04-24-2008, 10:30 PM
Five Things to Watch For at the Draft
1. The Darren McFadden watch begins immediately now that the number-one pick has already been etched in stone. He’s that dynamic player that a team could trade up all the way to the second pick for and it’d make sense. Then again, his reported character issues could drop him to the 6-10 range and nobody would be surprised. He’s clearly the big domino that will decide how a lot of this draft shakes out.
2. After McFadden, it would appear that quarterback Matt Ryan is the next-biggest question mark. Despite a desperate quarterback need, the Atlanta Falcons have to hear the consensus that they’d be reaching on Ryan at the third pick. Last year saw Brady Quinn fall all the way to #22 and he was still a better prospect than Ryan. The Falcons and Baltimore Ravens are the only Top 10 pickers who would possible take Ryan, so what happens there will certainly impact the quarterback situation for the rest of the draft. If Ryan doesn’t go early, he may drop all the way to the second round.
3. Wide Receiver is probably the most interesting position to watch as none of the prospects have the hype players such as Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Braylon Edwards brought to recent drafts. Limas Sweed seems to be majority’s pick as the first receiver to go, but the lack of a clear frontrunner at this position makes it intriguing on several levels. While it won’t bad as bad as 2006, when Santonio Holmes was the first receiver taken all the way down at the 25th pick, this certainly looks like a low year with the likely chance that no receiver will go in the Top 10.
4. You could see an inordinate number of trades this weekend as many teams find themselves either unfavorable positions or with plenty of assets to work with. The aforementioned Falcons seem like a likely candidate to trade down both as they try to rebuild their franchise and as other teams try to jump ahead and take McFadden. The Patriots also are likely to move out of the Top 10 as they seek to avoid paying that kind of salary. After trading Jared Allen to Minnesota, the Chiefs joined the Cowboys as teams with two first-rounders to use. The various circumstances at work should certainly make for plenty of surprises.
5. The continued success of lesser-known players from small schools, such as our own DeMarcus Ware, is certainly having an impact on the way teams approach the draft. Two of the top prospects at the cornerback position, Leodis McKelvin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, respectively hail from Troy and Tennessee St. You will continue to see the small schools guys rise in overall draft status, as well as teams waiting longer to address needs as they hope to get value in later rounds from these lesser-known prospects.
1. The Darren McFadden watch begins immediately now that the number-one pick has already been etched in stone. He’s that dynamic player that a team could trade up all the way to the second pick for and it’d make sense. Then again, his reported character issues could drop him to the 6-10 range and nobody would be surprised. He’s clearly the big domino that will decide how a lot of this draft shakes out.
2. After McFadden, it would appear that quarterback Matt Ryan is the next-biggest question mark. Despite a desperate quarterback need, the Atlanta Falcons have to hear the consensus that they’d be reaching on Ryan at the third pick. Last year saw Brady Quinn fall all the way to #22 and he was still a better prospect than Ryan. The Falcons and Baltimore Ravens are the only Top 10 pickers who would possible take Ryan, so what happens there will certainly impact the quarterback situation for the rest of the draft. If Ryan doesn’t go early, he may drop all the way to the second round.
3. Wide Receiver is probably the most interesting position to watch as none of the prospects have the hype players such as Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Braylon Edwards brought to recent drafts. Limas Sweed seems to be majority’s pick as the first receiver to go, but the lack of a clear frontrunner at this position makes it intriguing on several levels. While it won’t bad as bad as 2006, when Santonio Holmes was the first receiver taken all the way down at the 25th pick, this certainly looks like a low year with the likely chance that no receiver will go in the Top 10.
4. You could see an inordinate number of trades this weekend as many teams find themselves either unfavorable positions or with plenty of assets to work with. The aforementioned Falcons seem like a likely candidate to trade down both as they try to rebuild their franchise and as other teams try to jump ahead and take McFadden. The Patriots also are likely to move out of the Top 10 as they seek to avoid paying that kind of salary. After trading Jared Allen to Minnesota, the Chiefs joined the Cowboys as teams with two first-rounders to use. The various circumstances at work should certainly make for plenty of surprises.
5. The continued success of lesser-known players from small schools, such as our own DeMarcus Ware, is certainly having an impact on the way teams approach the draft. Two of the top prospects at the cornerback position, Leodis McKelvin and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, respectively hail from Troy and Tennessee St. You will continue to see the small schools guys rise in overall draft status, as well as teams waiting longer to address needs as they hope to get value in later rounds from these lesser-known prospects.