Well, the NFL Draft is FINALLY here! I had a nightmare that I turned on the TV and every channel had Mel Kiper Jr. on it. Kiper was on MTV Cribs, he was the bad guy on CSI and he was co-hosting on CNN with that annoying British guy who replaced Larry King. I woke up screaming!
Seriously, I am a huge draft nerd. I can watch the whole draft, yes even the 7th round. And I love how everyone talks about how these college dudes will be perfect fits when they are drafted. Let’s face it, this whole draft thing is a 50/50 crap shoot. I am no draft insider but here are some of the observations I have from the comfort of my recliner…
I wouldn’t draft Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe in the first round unless he paid me. I don’t care if he bench pressed a house 100 times, ran the 40 yard dash in two flat and had a 50 inch vertical leap. This guy is the whole package…until he walks onto the football field. All I hear is that he doesn’t make plays and doesn’t give great effort. So unless Dontari gets a lot better or they give teams points for bench pressing, I think I’ll pass on Poe.
Speaking of bench pressing, I hear one of the knocks on Wisconsin center Peter Konz is that he only benched 225 lbs. 18 times at the combine. I say, so what? Word is that this cat is has all of the skills to be a real good NFL center so I’ll just put a bench pressing clause in his contract, lock him in the weight room and buy him some creatine.
Here’s a great scouting report on a wide receiver…has great size and runs a 4.36 forty yard dash. Has excellent top end speed! Has all of the physical skills to be a play maker. His negative…not a natural pass catcher and drops have been an issue. Yep, you read it right, a wide receiver who is NOT A NATURAL PASS CATCHER! I’m no NFL scout but I think that whole “being a pass catcher thing” is kind of important. And this guy, Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech will be a first round pick. Another player I wouldn’t take.
Everyone is raving about Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill. I’m always wary of dudes who shoot up the draft board after the Combine and Pro Days. Could Tannehill be a big-time QB? Sure…and he could be coaching quarterback’s at his alma mater in five years. I’d rather have Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma St. I think if Weeden was 22 years old instead of almost 30 he’d be rated ahead of Tannehill.
If they set up a War Room in my man-cave and I was on the clock I’d draft players who can actually play the game of football. Not guys who look good bench pressing, running on a track or killing it on their Pro Day wearing Khaki shorts, flip flops and halter tops. Call me crazy.
