Month: April 2006 (Page 3 of 20)

Javon Walker got his draft day wish by being traded from the Green Bay Packers. Walker’s new home will be in Denver as the Broncos traded their second round pick, 37th overall, to the Packers for the rights to Walker. Walker will join Jay Cutler, whom the Broncos selected in the first round after swapping picks with the Rams.

No. 24 Cincinnati Bengals, Jonathan Joseph
At one point, Joseph was the top rated cornerback on Mel Kiper’s draft board. However, as the draft neared, Kiper swapped Joseph with Tye Hill. Joseph is explosive in his first step and has the speed to compete at the next level. He tends to gamble much and doesn’t have much experience after being a former juco transfer, but Joseph could add to an up and coming Bengal secondary.

No. 25 Pittsburgh Steelers, Santonio Holmes
The Steelers traded up to select a man that they think will replace Antwan Randle El. The Steelers cough up a third and fifth round pick, but they must feel that Holmes, arguably the best wide receiver in the draft, is going to be the perfect match to Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward.

No. 26 Buffalo Bills, John McCargo
Another member of the NC State defensive line is selected as John McCargo gets picked by the Bills. McCargo wasn’t highly ranked at all, which only adds to the confusion of why the Bills traded with the Bears to nab McCargo. I’m not saying that Buffalo didn’t get quality players in Whitner and McCargo, but their strategy has got me lost.

No. 27 Carolina Panthers, DeAngelo Williams
Desperate for a runningback with Stephen Davis on the way out and DeShuan Foster often injured, DeAngelo Williams is a speedster with great agility. Williams will join the likes of Duece McAllister, Reggie Bush, Cadillac Williams and Warrick Dunn in the highly competitive NFC South.

No. 28 Jacksonville Jaguars, Marcedes Lewis
Jacksonville selected Marcedes Lewis, which was a definite need for them at 28. The Bears were interested in Lewis before they traded out of the first round. The Jags must be excited to select a player that they figured probably wasn’t going to bet there when they were up to pick.

No. 29 New York Jets, Nick Mangold
The biggest hole coming into the draft for the Jets was the offensive line and they have defiantly upgraded the position with D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Mangold. The loss of Jason Fabini is a little less dramatic with Mangold stepping into the fold. Mangold has great power and is tough off the ball.

No. 30 Indianapolis Colts, Joseph Addai
The choice of Joseph Addai over LenDale White has to tell me that White’s off the field problems are very fresh in teams minds. Addai is fast and versatile with a powerful build for a guy who is only 5’11. He might lack ideal size, but Addai is highly underrated and he’ll obviously get a solid shot at the starting RB position with Edgerrin James bolting to Arizona.

No. 31 Seattle Seahawks, Kelly Jennings
Seattle needed DB help, but mostly at safety with Ken Hamlin trying to recover from a skull fracture. Marquand Manuel left via free agency so I wonder why the Seahawks didn’t take a shot at Jimmy Williams here at 31. Williams is slated at cornerback, but is big enough to play safety. Jennings isn’t as thick as Williams, but he has solid football instincts and is very quick.

No. 32 New York Giants, Mathias Kiwanuka
As Chris Berman so nicely put it, the Giants have a solid group of names for Scrabble. Kiwanuka joins fellow defensive lineman Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Kiwanuka was once thought of as a top 15 pick and with the Giants addition of Lavar Arrington, they have a solid defensive front seven to compete with any opposing running game.

No. 19 San Deigo Chargers, Antonio Cromartie
Cromartie has arguably the biggest risk/reward potential out of anyone in the draft. He missed the entire 2005 season after tearing his ACL, but had tremendous offseason workouts that teams took notice. Slated to go somewhere in round two, Cromartie has excellent size and speed and might end up bigger a huge value at 19.

No. 20 Kansas City Chiefs, Tamba Hali
Hali was projected by some early mock drafts to go in the top 15, if not the top 10. Hali’s height might have been the reason he slipped all the way to 20. Hali will bring power and speed off the end for the Chiefs and should make an immediate impact.

No. 21 New England Patriots, Laurence Maroney
To me, Maroney is a bit of a mystery pick for New England. I don’t know if he should be ranked higher over DeAngelo Williams. But hey, I think the Patriots brass know what they’re doing. And although they still hope to get production out of Corey Dillion, Maroney should be a great change of pace back.

No. 22 San Francisco 49ers, Manny Lawson
With their second pick in round one, the 49ers decided to fill a defensive need at defensive tackle. With need at linebacker, cornerback and safety, the choice of Lawson, Mario Williams fellow end at NC State, is a bit of a question mark. Although blessed with raw athletic ability, Lawson is a bit undersized and may struggle against stronger offensive tackles at the next level.

No. 23 Tampa Bay Buccs, Davin Joseph
The first guard selected in the draft is Davin Joseph who goes to Tampa. Joseph was ranked as one of the top guards, if not the top guard. Joseph, out of Oklahoma has the quickness to be a solid pulling guard, although he lacks ideal height.

No.14 Philadelphia Eagles, Brodrick Bunkley
The Eagles don’t necessarily fill a need here since they’re pretty loaded at defensive tackle. However, Bunkley was certainly the best player available at 14 and could step up as a starter if Hollis Thomas, Darwin Walker and Mike Patterson continue to underperform.

No. 15 St. Louis Rams, Tye Hill
Hill was clocked at 4.3 and took the honor of fastest cornerback at the combine. Mel Kiper had Hill as the highest rated corner in the draft over Virginia Tech’s Jimmy Williams.

No. 16 Miami Dolphins, Jason Allen
Allen has an exceptional combination of size, strength and speed. With all of those skills intact, Allen has the making of a solid safety. With Sam Madison now in Kansas City, however, Allen might also be looked at to play cornerback as well.

No. 17 Minnesota Vikings, Chad Greenway
Minnesota filled an immediate need at linebacker by going with Greenway out of Iowa. Greenway is tall and has great lateral speed, which would be great in the Vikings traditional 4-3 defense. He might need to add some size to his 243 pound frame.

No. 18 Dallas Cowboys, Bobby Carpenter
With the Cowboys filling most of their pressing needs through free agency, Carpenter is a great value pick at 18. Carpenter excels in pass coverage and is tough and versatile. One of his weaknesses might be overall strength, however and needs to clean up his technique.

With the No.13 pick, acquired from Baltimore, the Browns selected Kamerion Wimbley out of Florida State. Wimbley probably needs to add more weight to his frame to be a defensive end in the NFL. However, as Tom Jackson commented, he can become an outstanding hybrid player in the Browns 3-4 defense. Wimbley is fast, intelligent and if used right, could become a bit of a sack artist at the next level.