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May 2, 2006
The Spectacle of the 2006 NFL
Draft
As the 2006 NFL Draft countdown ticked to less than one
hour, I could start to fill the chills of the excitement that this day would
bring. It was the most excited I have been for an event since Super Bowl XL.
But the excitement started the night before the draft, when the Houston Texans
reached a deal with North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams. This
move was a shocker, as Reggie Bush, running back out of USC, was expected to be
the number one pick since the college football season ended.
For the Texans, the selection of Williams may not be
popular. Bush is by far the most exciting player in this draft. He can play
running back, receiver, or returner, and he has moves like no other. However,
as far as it comes to rebuilding the foundation of the franchise, Williams was
the right choice. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, offensive tackle from Virginia, also
would have been a nice choice. Why is that? Games are won in the trenches.
Williams gives the Texans a massive (6’7” 295 pound) end who can rush the passer
and create a lot of disruption. It is also a lot tougher to get a dominant
defensive end than it is to get a good running back. The only mistake that the
Texans made is not getting any value for Bush. They could have traded with a
team and picked up a boat load of early draft choices, such as the Jets, and
still picked up a player such as Ferguson slightly later.
Then the mystery came, where would Reggie Bush go? The
Saints have a lot invested in Deuce McAllister. The Titans have a need for a
young quarterback. The Jets are sitting pretty with early draft choices to
trade, and need a running back. In the end it was the Saints, maybe the team
with the biggest need of a superstar that took Bush.
The next dilemma came with the Titans, would they take
former Texas quarterback Vince Young or former USC quarterback Matt Leinart.
Leinart would have fit well with his former offensive coordinator Norm Chow, but
Young reminds many of Steve McNair. The future potential of Young was too much
and the Titans elected to go with the more athletic quarterback. I personally
do not feel too confident that Young’s skills will translate to the NFL.
Leinart’s next spot was maybe the Jets. The Jets though
were weak on their offensive line and stood pat. They took Ferguson to play
left tackle. I was expecting a raucous reaction from the Jets fans in the
crowd, but they recognized Ferguson’s talent and the need that the Jets had for
a bookend left tackle.
Green Bay followed by selecting linebacker A.J. Hawk of
Ohio State, the 49ers took tight end Vernon Davis from Maryland, and Oakland
selected former Texas safety Michael Huff. The Bills were then on the board.
The obvious choice seemed to be Haloti Ngata or Broderick Bunkley. No, the
Bills took Donte Whitner, safety from Ohio State. That brought up the question;
does Tom Donahoe still run the Bills? While Whitner is talented and should be a
good safety in the league, taking him with the eighth overall selection was an
absolutely huge reach. I have seen him placed anywhere from about 17-32 in the
draft, which is about ten spots below where he was selected. Bills fans cannot
be encouraged by the decision making with their first selection.
Detroit went with wide receiver…just kidding. Detroit
followed with linebacker Ernie Sims, an athletic linebacker from Florida State.
Then finally, Matt Leinart went off the board to the Arizona Cardinals in a Ben
Roethlisberger-esque fall. This was a dream pick for the Cards. They are
moving into a new stadium, they just signed running back Edgerrin James and have
two great, young receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. With the
offensive weapons in place, all they need to do is improve the offensive line
and the Cardinals, yes the Cardinals, could be a perennial playoff contender.
The first trade of the day happened when the Denver Broncos
traded up to the eleventh spot with the St. Louis Rams to select Jay Cutler,
quarterback of Vanderbilt. Two AFC North teams selected back-to-back, after
swapping draft choices, with the Ravens selecting Haloti Ngata, defensive tackle
of Oregon and the Browns taking Kamerion Wimbley, DE/OLB from Florida State.
For the Ravens, Ngata will clog up blockers to allow Ray Lewis to roam around
and in Cleveland; Wimbley will translate to an outside linebacker in their 3-4
defense. The trade between these two teams was interesting, with the Browns
adding the Ravens’ sixth round choice, as they are AFC North rivals, and it was
evident that Cleveland was not going to take Ngata.
With the 14th choice, the Philadelphia Eagles
selected Brodrick Bunkley, defensive tackle from Florida State. St. Louis still
was able to draft cornerback Tye Hill, of Clemson, after trading down. Miami
followed the Rams by taking another defensive back, Jason Allen, out of
Tennessee. Allen would have been considered a top ten selection if not for a
dislocated hip that he suffered. Allen has the ability to play corner or
safety.
Minnesota was able to make their pick before the clock ran
out for once, drafting Chad Greenway, linebacker from Iowa. Greenway dropped
because he did not run a fast 40 at the combine, but he is a guy that has proved
it on the field. Another linebacker, Bobby Carpenter of Ohio State, went to
Dallas. San Diego then grabbed Antonio Cromartie, cornerback from Florida
State. Cromartie was the fourth Florida State player selected in the first
twenty picks, all defensive. While he hasn’t played in a year, his size (6’2”)
and speed are outstanding and he has such high potential, but this could be a
boom or bust pick due to his inexperience.
Fellow AFC West team Kansas also addressed their defensive
issues in taking Tamba Hali, defensive end of Penn State. The New England
Patriots made their first step to returning to their Super Bowl ways by
selecting Laurence Maroney, running back from Minnesota. Maroney has the
ability to run inside and outside as well as catch the ball out of the
backfield. He can sit back this year and play in certain situations before
eventually taking over for incumbent Corey Dillon.
San Francisco made their second choice of the first round,
taking Manny Lawson from North Carolina State. I thought they may have added
another receiving option for Alex Smith, in Santonio Holmes or Chad Jackson, but
they elected to go with a pass rushing specialist instead. Tampa Bay worked to
solidify their offensive line, selecting Davin Joseph, guard from Okalahoma,
with the 23rd selection. Cincinnati followed by taking Jonathan
Joseph, a talented cornerback from South Carolina.
The Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers traded with the
Giants to take wide receiver Santonio Holmes of Ohio State. Holmes is an
excellent receiver and returner. His tremendous speed will give the Steelers a
deep threat to line up alongside Hines Ward. He will add another dimension to
the Steelers offense. Chicago had planned on taking Holmes, but as a result,
traded down with Buffalo. Buffalo reached again, only much, much more this
time, selecting John McCargo (who?), defensive tackle from North Carolina
State. McCargo was projected as a third round pick.
Carolina got their running back, but it wasn’t the guy most
projected. Deangelo Williams, the NCAA leading rusher this past season out of
Memphis, dropped all the way to the 27th selection. He will share
time with DeShaun Foster. Jacksonville also looked to add talent to their
offense by taking Marcedes Lewis, tight end from UCLA. With all of the
receiving talent in Jacksonville, Lewis will give quarterback Byron Leftwich an
outlet over the middle of the field.
The New York Jets, who had one of the better drafts, added
a second starter to their offensive line by taking Nick Mangold, center from
Ohio State. Many believe that Mangold is one of the “sure things” in this draft
and he should solidify the center, with Ferguson manning the outside, for the
next decade.
Indianapolis replaced Edgerrin James with Joseph Addai,
running back out of LSU. He is a nice fit, probably the best out of the top
rated running back. However, that is a lot of pressure to live up to. Seattle
rounded out their secondary, taking Kelly Jennings, cornerback from Miami and
the New York Giants finished the first round with pass rushing specialist
Mathias Kiwanuka, defensive end from Boston College.
Worst Five First Round
Selections
1. Buffalo – John McCargo – What was Marv Levy thinking
trading back up into the first round to get this guy? They could have drafted
him in the third round if they wanted him that bad. Buffalo, a team with a lot
of holes, could have stayed put and got a better player.
2. Buffalo – Donte Whitner – Whitner is not going to be a
bad player, but this was a tremendous reach. Whitner was projected no higher
than the late teens, so he was selected about ten spots too early. Buffalo
should have
3. Kansas City – Tamba Hali – Once again, I think Hali will
be a solid player in the NFL, but the Chiefs desperately needed a corner. This
would have been a perfect place to grab Jonathan Joseph, who some said was the
best corner in the draft. In addition, the Steelers offered to trade up with
the Chiefs. The Chiefs could have got Hali with the 32nd pick.
4. Tennessee – Vince Young – Young is the most overrated
quarterback in this draft. The Titans could have had Matt Leinart, a player
familiar with Norm Chow’s offense and a winner. While Young showed a lot in the
Rose Bowl, I do not see his skills translating to the NFL.
5. New York Giants – Mathias Kiwanuka – I smell bust with
this one. He reminds me a lot of former Steelers and Giants linebacker Alonzo
Jackson. Jackson had the measurability’s, but could do nothing on the field.
Kiwanuka got stood up at the senior bowl practices by D’Brickashaw Ferguson and
the NFL tackles will be even better.
Best Five First Round
Selections
1. New York Jets – D’Brickashaw Ferguson – The Jets could
have traded up to get Reggie Bush. They could have drafted Matt Leinart.
Instead they stayed put and maybe took the best player in this draft. You build
a franchise along the lines and Ferguson will be a franchise tackle.
2. Carolina – Deangelo Williams – If Reggie Bush was not in
this draft; Williams would have been the highest rated running back. Carolina
had Williams fall right into their laps. He is versatile and will be a nice fit
for the Panthers.
3. Pittsburgh – Santonio Holmes – The Steelers needed a
deep threat to compliment Hines Ward and that is what they got. Holmes and his
sub 4.4 40 speed will add a new dimension to the Steelers offense. He is also
an explosive returner.
4. Arizona – Matt Leinart – The Cardinals could have taken
Leinart or Cutler, but they went with Leinart. Moving into a new stadium, with
Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Edgerrin James on the roster, Leinart
should be thrilled he can go to a team with such outstanding weapons.
5. Houston – Mario Williams – Here me out, it is a lot
harder to find a top defensive end than it is to find a good running back. The
Texans already have Domanick Davis, a 1,000 yard back. They addressed their
offensive line later in the draft, but if Williams can be 3/4ths the player
Julius Peppers is, they will be getting a darn good player.
Mock Draft: Version One
Mock Draft: Version Two
Mock
Draft: Version Three
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