Yes, I have promised for at least two years now that I would move my usual draft ramblings from word documents to this fancy thing called the world wide web. Well I finally got off my ass and did something.
I'm starting small with the blog, and will eventually/hopefully move this to a full hosted website. And why might you ask that it's called "the best draft blog in the universe"? It's because there are already several online draft websites that claim to be 'the most popular draft site in the world', etc. So since I know my draft analysis is far superior, I felt I needed to go one step further.
I'll start posting more over the next few days, as I have more research and analysis than ever. I'll also do my best to post all of the previous year's word docs on the side bar (if I can figure out who to actually work this damn thing!). But to whet your whistles, I have the following points to make:
This is one of the weakest drafts I can remember
Yeah, I know, it's going out on a limb at this point in time but it's true. A large number of the draft-eligible Juniors that I thought were definitely coming out actually went back to school. While I'm all for guys getting the experience and gym time with another year of college, there were some guys who potentially made critical mistakes by not coming out a year early. Guys like Gerald McCoy and Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma come to mind immediately. McCoy was easily the best DL I saw this year, and if he comes out he's a lock in the top five to ten picks. Seriously. Same with Gresham, he really has nothing else to prove as he's already playing at a level that would put him close to the top ten TE's in the league. This Senior crop is a bit weak from top to bottom, so I expect the 4th round and on to be tough to call.
Although it's weak, there is excellent depth at several positions
Laugh all you want at the following line, but I'm sticking by it: This is one of the best Center drafts I have seen. Yes, I know, it's Offensive Centers. This is by no means a glamour position, but look around the league and see who's starting at this position. There are a good deal of long time veterans like Olin Kreutz, Matt Birk, Tom Nalen (now retired), Casey Wiegmann, etc. The bad part about all of the guys I just named is that they have definitely seen their Pro Bowl days pass them by. So it's time for the new crop of OC's to come in and get plugged in for the next 10 years. Guys like Cal's Alex Mack, Oregon's Max Unger, Alabama's Antoine Caldwell, Penn State's A.Q. Shipley, and Louisville's Eric Wood are NFL ready right now. I especially like Mack and can see him being the rare first round OC.
Tight end is also another deep position, even though Gresham returned to school. With versatile blocker/pass catcher Brandon Pettigrew, fast rising athlete Shawn Nelson of Southern Miss, and offensive weapon Chase Coffman of Mizzou, there are options abound. And that's not counting two top notch prospects that spent the year on the sidelines due to injury (Wisconsin's Travis Beckum and Florida's Cornelius Ingram).
So keep an eye out on the site for updates. For those of you who have read my coverage in the past, it will be very much like last year's coverage. I will cover each team's needs as I see them for the upcoming draft, I'll go through this year's prospects (as seen from the games I've watched), I'll cover the combine, I'll have several mock drafts, and may even do a live blog of Draft Weekend.
Until next time...
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