A POST MORTEM

I look forward to the NFL draft every year just as much as I look forward to the opening of the season. It’s a two-day affair, but the really juicy stuff gets done in day one. There are always surprises, supposed mistakes, great picks, and some “what was that!” It seems that every year some well-touted player finds himself sliding down the ladder, and this year we had a potential first pick quarterback dropping all the way to tenth. On day two particularly, there seemed to be an abnormal number of trades between teams trying to move up or down to get their “guy.”

The experts have already begun the evaluations of how the teams did. On the Monday following the draft, I defy you to find an NFL city newspaper, or any of the major Internet Sports Sites that won’t be giving a blow by blow in depth analysis of how the teams supposedly did on draft day. I say supposedly, because really, how many real “locks” are there? The whole of the first round’s picks won’t all be starters next year, and within a year or two, this year’s Ryan Leaf award will have already been handed out.

Its not exacting microsurgery we are talking about here, mistakes will have been made.

So what are those “experts” telling us? The Arizona Cardinals seem to be the first pick of most of those that look at the NFL draft results closely as the team which gets an A or B grade in the draft. The Jets and Titans are also getting high grades.

Arizona picking tenth had Matt Leinart USC fall into their laps. It must have been a very tense time for Leinart as he saw the picks from one to nine go by without him finding a team to play for. I watched the draft on TV, and I may be wrong, but I thought I saw for just an instant a quick look of concern on his face which I read to be “Oh no! Not the Cardinals!” However he immediately went into a perfect recital of the party line of how pleased he was to be going to the desert and what a perfect fit it will be… blah blah blah.

The Jets shored up their offensive line with two good picks in D’Brickshaw Ferguson (gotta love that name) and Nick Mangold and added Kellen Clemens as a quarterback prospect. Tennessee is expected to jettison Steve McNair shortly (handled badly!) and brought in Vince Young through the draft as the heir apparent. With LenDale White expected to be a big part of the Titans running game in the future, Tennessee fans should be happy with their team’s prospects.

At the bottom of the rungs of the draft ladder, all of The NFC North teams have been given grades in the C’s or lower, The Pack being accused of not getting enough for Javon Walker and not really addressing their needs in the draft, but their late draft moves gave them more picks, than anyone, so possibly quantity will uncover some quality? The Vikes appeared to have picked up a couple of drafts that are a stretch to say the least. The Lions passed on Leinart, and this is a team that seems to have struggled at QB forever! At least they didn’t load up on some more receivers. The Bears seem to be happy with the status quo and their picks seemed ho hum.

Now we go into the “can they sign-him?” mode for a while, and then training camp begins for real.