Posted on 04/12/2006 1:30:09 PM PDT by mainepatsfan
Lawson rises, Kiwanuka falls in latest projections
By Mel Kiper Jr.
Special to ESPN Insider
With the NFL draft two weeks away, the one hot spot in the first round remains with the New Orleans Saints and second overall pick. While I still have North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams going to New Orleans, the outlook of the first round could change significantly if the Saints trade the pick.
My first-round projections remain nearly the same, with the one newcomer being NC State defensive end Manny Lawson. Overshadowed by Williams at NC State, Lawson had a very good senior season then performed exceptionally well at the NFL scouting combine. Right now I am projecting the Jets will use their second first-round pick on Lawson, where he will be used as a pass-rushing defensive end/outside linebacker.
New this week are my projections for the second, third and fourth rounds. You will be surprised to see some players initially projected as first-round picks have slipped to the second round in recent weeks.
(Excerpt) Read more at insider.espn.go.com ...
or you can draft a quality non-QB player and figure that there were going to be growing pains anyway.
They took a risk at signing Brees to be sure. But you can believe they will NOT draft another QB early "just in case"....
It's illogical.
The problem with my USC guys going pro is that they have to learn to adjust their lifestyle now that their income is reduced. JUST KIDDING
The alumni like to spend money supporting good football players at big colleges everywhere.
Free cars, money under the table, etc.
Nobody takes an OL or a DE with the second pick, not with the number of high profile players that are sitting around in this draft, you'd get laughed out of the GMs club for that. I think the first 5 picks are trap picks unless your team has a clear and obvious need at QB or RB, at this point the Saints do have a need at QB, though probably not second pick of the draft need. If I were GM and had one of those first 5 picks and didn't need one of the high profile players my #1 goal would be to trade that pick away for 2 others, preferably late 1st round but I'd take a 1 and a 2.
Logic doesn't necessarily have a lot to do with the first 5 picks, look at the Eli Manning draft. The Chargers still didn't have a deal, they certainly didn't need yet another QB with Brees playing well and Rivers on the bench, he refused to play for them anyway, but they grabbing Manning anyway and just trusted they'd manage to put the deal together before the whole thing blew up in their face. Because in that draft if you had the first pick you just couldn't not get Eli. In this year's draft the only way you can skip Bush, Leinert or Young is for one of the other two, GMs in the upper end of the draft who don't want one of those three need to get out of the upper end of the draft. Thus IF Bush is taken first (which depends on a lot of stuff) and IF NO hasn't managed to trade away the second pick they probably do take Leinert. Who knows maybe they pull an Eli and trade him within the hour, or maybe they have him start while Brees finishes healing and trade him next year for some draft picks after he's shown he's got NFL potential.
The draft is a funny time and the vast majority of projections and predictions wind up wrong anyway.
LOL
right. We will see.
yes I am bookmarking this when the Saints take either Ferguson or Williams with their pick.
BTW.
That's factually incorrect. It happens more often than not.
and in fact in 1997 neither a QB or a RB were taken in the first 11 picks.....
But who were the QBs and RBs in 1997. Notcie I did place the qualifier "high profile", I know how to hedge my bets ;)
well even with that, his attitude wasn't always horrible in New Orleans, but his play was....
He just doesn't make good decisions with the football. That's a killer.
If anything the only time a "high profile" player doesn't matter is the NFL draft.
All of these teams have been burned before by a "high profile" player. Maybe the Raiders will get burned again, but the rest of them will be smart about it.
Here's how it's going to go...
1 - Reggie Bush
2 - D'Brickashaw Ferguson
3 - Matt Leinart
4 - Mario Williams
5 - AJ Hawk
The draft is the time of unproven star worship. Some player(s) makes a big splash in college and becomes the "must have" guy. Of course a really unfortunate percentage turn out to be busts in the NFL so it SHOULD be the time high profile players don't matter, but that's not how it is. Funny in the same post you say the draft is when high profile players don't matter you then say 2 of the 3 high profile players in this draft will go in the first 3 picks, shows high profile players do matter in the draft.
10 years ago it was....
Not anymore.
You want an example?
DeMarcus Ware.....
I got examples:
Eli Manning
Ryan Leaf
Peyton Manning
Michael Vick
If there are players coming out of college with a bunch of hype they WILL go early, whether it turns out that was a good idea or not.
yeah so what?
Ferguson has that type hype whether you want to admit it or not...
So does AJ Hawk and so does Mario Williams.
Sorry bud, you just cornered yourself.
Look at the draft history. There is quite a bit of variance and as a general rule, the top 5 is generally the best player on the board period. Not just QBs and RBs.
Ferguson doesn't have that type of hype. Leinert's been being pushed as an early pick since midway through his jr year, Bush since midway through this college season, Young with the Rose Bowl win. Tell me which NFL game was called the Ferguson Bowl, or the Hawks Bowl, or the Williams Bowl. None of those guys have been getting that level of hype and you know it. Now they might actually DESERVE that level of hype but they didn't GET that level of hype. Only corner painting I see here is somebody saying a DE only serious college football watchers and draft observers have heard of is getting hype like Bush, Leinart and Young, not happening. Now Young scuttled himself at the combine and opened the door for some one less hyped than him, but Bush and Leinert are probably 1 and 2, to which teams I only hazard the most hazardous of guesses, but they're almost definitely 1 and 2 in the draft.
Orlando Pace - T
Robert Gallery - T
Julius Peppers - DE
Courtney Brown - DE
Darrell Russell - DT
Keyshawn Johnson - WR
Kevin Hardy - OLB
There's quite a few more #1 and #2 picks that AREN'T RB and QB than are. You'd think that it would be the other way around if the teams were drafting purely on potential.
And picks like Cryin Leaf and Tim Couch are the reason things have shifted.
you don't think so, but then again I guess you didn't see him play.
An athletic 6'9" LT WILL go in the top 5 no matter what. I don't know where you think this is going.
As for AJ Hawk, didn't you watch the Fiesta Bowl? Enough said.
And were there hyped RBs or QBs their year? NO! Thus my point, for the first few picks it's ALWAYS all about the hype and NONE of that has changed inspite of Cryin Ryan.
LOL
like I said I've bookmarked this thread and I'll be talking with you when you're proven wrong again.
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