Saturday, April 26, 2008

NFL Draft Primer... Where Will the Dores Go?

I used to have an annual tradition of making a mock draft each year, but they were always so bad I put less and less effort into them and eventually gave up on predicting the draft altogether. Maybe it was a couple years ago when the Bills reached for Donte Whitner (ended up being a great pick) and then John McCargo (who they could have had a round later at the same spot) and ruined my entire mock that I decided to hang up my cleats. But just for the fun of it, I'm going to try to predict where this year's Commodore draft class will be going and who might take them...

Chris Williams- Unfortunately he got stuck in a very good class of offensive tackles, but there are a lot of teams in the middle of the first round who desperately need a long-term offensive lineman. If former Vanderbilt star Jay Cutler has anything to say about it, he could be the third one drafted. Likely destinations: Denver (12), Chicago (14), Houston (18).

Earl Bennett- This year's receiving class lack's an elite prospect, but has a lot of guys (maybe 12) who could go between the mid-first and early third round. Earl lacks the physical gifts of speedsters like DeSean Jackson, or big guys like Limas Sweed and Malcolm Kelley, so the first round is out of the question at this point. He looks like the ideal target for a late second round or early third round pick from a team that addressed a more pressing need before digging into the deep WR class for a #2 or more likely a slot option. Potential destinations: New York (63), St. Louis (65), Kansas City (66)

Jonathan Goff- Despite being one of the highest rated middle/inside linebackers in the draft class with intelligence, good speed, and great reliability as a tackler, he still doesn't project to be anything higher than a low third round pick at best. If he falls to the fifth round or later, some team will be getting a big steal. Potential destinations: It's not even worth predicting this late in the draft, but he's the type of guy a team would have listed as a value pick and trade up to grab late in the fourth or in the fifth round.

Curtis Gatewood/Marcus Buggs- After Goff these outside linebackers are the only guys with a legitimate chance at getting drafted. Buggs is undersized and might have problems shedding blockers at the next level, but he's a great late round pick for a team looking for special teams help due to his great athleticism. Gatewood is big and athletic, but is definitely a raw prospect that a team may decide late in the draft could make a good project. If either of these guys don't get drafted, they will be very attractive free agent signings and should get a shot at the pros.

2 comments:

David Shochat said...
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David Shochat said...

I think there is a very good chance Earl could go to the Titans if he falls into the third round esp. if the Titans don't take a WR in the first. As a Titans fan, I would love for us to get Sweed or Devin Thomas in the first. Address our need at D-line in the second and get Earl in the third. That would be a very successful draft. Vince Young is great, but got hurt because he had to scramble too much when there was no one to pass to.