The Rams got their man in the first round of this years draft. Carriker will come in and be an iunstant starter most likely and he will help out on an improving defense.
Breaking down the Draft - AFC West
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Denver Broncos Who They Took: 1.(17) DE Jarvis Moss, Florida 2.(56) DE Tim Crowder, Texas 3.(70) OT Ryan Harris, Notre Dame 4.(121) DT Marcus Thomas, Florida Key Team Needs: 1. Defensive end 2. Safety 3. Defensive tackle 4. Offensive line 5. Wide receiver The Bottom Line: Denver didn't have a busy day two, but they found a way to fill some of their needs. I like both their first two picks, both DEs. Moss is a great pass rusher and should develop into a great player with his athletic ability. Crowder is not as quick, but still can get the job done. He has been a starter from year one and has been productive every year. He too should develop into a good pro. Harris slipped into early round three and it is a good pick for the Broncos. Like Crowder, Harris has been a starter since his true freshman year. He has the experience and he has the physical tools to play left tackle for a long time in the NFL. The Broncos' last pick came in Moss' defensive line teammate at Florida with Marcus Thomas. Thomas hurt his draft stock when he was suspended during his senior year. If he works on his character, he should develop into a good pro as well. With only four players taken this season, the Broncos still had a really productive draft. Grade: B+
Kansas City Chiefs Who They Took: 1.(23) WR Dwayne Bowe, LSU 2.(54) DE Turk McBride, Tennessee 3.(82) DT Tank Tyler, North Carolina St. 5.(148) RB Kolby Smith, Louisville 5.(160) DE Justin Medlock, UCLA 6.(196) OT Herbert Taylor, TCU 7.(231) TE Michael Allan, Whitworth Key Team Needs: 1. Offensive line 2. Cornerback 3. Defensive end 4. Wide receiver 5. Defensive tackle The Bottom Line: I think Dwayne Bowe has a lot of potential and should develop into a good #1 WR. They wanted help on the D-Line and they got some with Turk and Tank. Both are big bodies that can get in there and make plays. I like the pick of Medlock, even though Kickers aren't needed too bad this year. He has a great leg and probably shouldn't find it too hard to find a starting job. The Chiefs didn't do too much to improve DBs and O-Line. Grade: C+
Oakland Raiders Who They Took: 1.(1) QB JaMarcus Russell, LSU 2.(38) TE Zach Miller, Arizona St 3.(65) DE Quentin Moses, Georgia 3.(91) OT Mario Henderson, Florida St 3.(99) WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, UTEP 4.(100) RB Michael Bush, Louisville 4.(110) CB John Bowie, Cincinnati 5.(138) DE Jay Richardson, Ohio State 5.(165) S Eric Frampton, Washington St. 6.(175) RB Oren O'Neal, Arkansas St. Key Team Needs: 1. Quarterback 2. Offensive tackle 3. Defensive tackle 4. Wide receiver 5. Tight end The Bottom Line: Having the #1 overall pick usually means, you will have a good draft. Well, The Raiders had a great draft. Russell appears to be the best quarterback in the draft, or at least the biggest. He has a rocket arm and he has enough accuracy to get it done. Zach Miller isn't too far behind Greg Olsen, and I think Olsen was a top 10 prospect. Moses could have gone late round one or early round two, but he was a steal early round three. He has great pass rush ability and athleticism to make it at the next level. Getting Michael Bush on day two may have been the best pick of the second day. Bush was dominate during his junior year and was on pace to do it again as a senior, but a broken leg held him back. His only question is his durability, otherwise, he could have been a round one pick. Great Draft for an improving team. Their Defense already is at a competitive level, and their offense may be their now. Grade: B+
San Diego Chargers Who They Took: 1.(30) WR Craig Davis, LSU 2.(37) S Eric Weddle, Utah 3.(96) LB Anthony Waters, Clemson 4.(129) TE Scott Chandler, Iowa 5.(172) WR Legedu Naanee, Boise State 7.(240) LB Brandon Siler, Florida 7.(254) WR Jonathan Holland, Louisiana Tech Key Team Needs: 1. Safety 2. Wide receiver 3. Offensive tackle 4. Linebacker 5. Nose tackle The Bottom Line: The Chargers don't have many needs. The few they had, they filled fairly well. Davis probably was picked a little high, but he still is a good receiver. Weddle was picked high also but his ball skills are tremendous. He totaled 18 interceptions in his four seasons at Utah. At the beginning of the season, I thought Scott Chandler would have gone higher then he actually did. He is a big target, but plays too much like a WR. I like the pick of Siler in round seven. I though Siler could have gone as high as third round. He should have gone higher then the seventh. He has been successful in college and is a born leader. Just an average draft for an above average team. Grade: B-
Raiders Take JaMarcus Russell First Overall As many people expected, the Raiders will take LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell first overall. Russell has tremendous talent and his mental game is great. He has the size and strength to make it in the NFL. The Raiders looked into trading down the first pick, but couldn't find a deal worth taking. It looks like Randy Moss will not be playing in Oakland this season, so the Raiders may have to look into a receiver in round two. The Raiders have a lot of needs and this one pick will not make them a playoff team yet. Their defense has gotten a lot better in the past few seasons and the offense has some talent. It doesn't help that they have to play the Chargers, the Broncos, and the Chiefs twice a year.
As you can see the card at the right, I will be making a card using a madden screenshot for each player picked in round one
The Readers Mock (Done by David Cornelius) Raiders JaMarcus Russell Lions Calvin Johnson Browns Brady Quinn Buccaneers Gaines Adams Cardinals Joe Thomas Redskins Alan Branch Vikings Adrian Peterson Falcons LaRon Landry Dolphins Amobi Okoye Texans Levi Brown 49ers Adam Carriker Bills Patrick Willis Rams Jamaal Anderson Panthers Greg Olsen Steelers Leon Hall Packers Marshawn Lynch Jaguars Reggie Nelson Bengals Darrelle Revis Titans Ted Ginn Jr. Giants Paul Posluzny Broncos Joe Staley Cowboys Robert Meachem Chiefs Dwayne Jarrett Patriots Lawrence Timmons Jets Jarvis Moss Eagles Michael Griffin Saints David Harris Patriots Chris Houston Ravens Justin Blalock Chargers Dwayne Bowe Bears Ben Grubbs Colts Jon Beason
As you can see, he took the safe way out and left off any trades. This could play our smart, but there always are a few trades that may screw up more then one of your picks. Guessing these trades can be difficult. One wrong guess and even more of your picks are wrong. Obviously, as most people did, David chose JaMarcus Russell to go number one and Calvin Johnson to go two. As you can see by my mock draft, I believe The Buccs will either trade up to get Johnson or draft Joe Thomas, I can't see them looking at Gaines Adams unless a swap is worked out with Detroit. One pick that baffles me is Alan Branch at 6. At the beginning of the offseason, Branch was a major player in the draft, but as workouts and interviews went along, Branch's stock has near plummeted. Some scouts say he won't even fall in the first round. Having Peterson fall to 7 may not be too much of a reach. If the Vikings keep that pick, which they should, they have to take him. They can't let a playmaker like him slip through. As far as the rest goes, its pretty much anybodies guess. Most of his picks are highly possible. It will be interesting to see how things turn out come the start of the Draft tomarrow morning.
1. Cleveland - Calvin Johnson (Braylon Edwards to Oakland) 2. Detroit - JaMarcus Russell (Couldn't find a trade partner for JRuss) 3. Oakland - Joe Thomas (Oakland just got a little better and looks at Trent Edward in rd 2 for QB) 4. Tampa Bay - Gaines Adams 5. Arizona - Adrian Peterson (Edge has a friend) 6. Denver - Amobi Okoye (Chicago traded Briggs to Wash, then Bears trade back down) 7. Minnesota - Brady Quinn (Quinn is a gift for the horrible Vikes) 8. Atlanta - LaRon Landry 9. Miami - Leon Hall 10. Houston - Levi Brown 11. San Fransisco - Jamaal Anderson 12. Buffalo - Patrick Willis 13. St. Louis - Darrelle Revis (Hill and Revis are the future of the Rams) 14. Carolina - Marshawn Lynch 15. Pittsburgh - Jon Beason 16. Green Bay - Greg Olsen 17. Jacksonville - Reggie Nelson 18. Cincinnati - Paul Posluszny 19. Tennessee - Ted Ginn 20. N.Y. Giants - Joe Staley 21. Chicago - Justin Harrell 22. Dallas - Dwayne Bowe 23. Kansas City - Robert Meacham 24. New England - Micheal Griffin 25. N.Y. Jets - Aaron Ross 26. Philadelphia - Brandon Merriweather 27. New Orleans - Adam Carriker 28. New England - David Harris 29. Baltimore - Ben Grubbs 30. San Diego - Dwayne Jarrett 31. Washington - Alan Branch 32. Indianapolis - Lawrence Timmons
Other players to watch
QB John Beck - BYU, QB John Stocco - Wisconsin, RB Chris Henry - Arizona, RB Garrett Wolfe - Northern Illinois, WR Sidney Rice - South Carolina, WR Derek Stanley - Wisconsin-Whitewater, WR Jeff Samardzija - Notre Dame, LB Mark Zalewski - Wisconsin, LB Prescott Burgess - Michigan, LB Will Herring - Auburn, CB David Irons - Auburn, S Sabby Piscitelli - Oregon State, S Eric Weddle - Utah, K Mason Crosby - Colorado
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
1. Cleveland - Calvin Johnson (Braylon Edwards to Oakland)
