NFL Draft Day Two

Well, the Patriots just wrapped up a very interesting draft. With the exception of yesterdays sole pick, Brandon Meriweather, the Pats completely confused NFL pundits and Patriot "experts" with their draft picks and moves. For example; who in the world thought that the Patriots would take a defensive tackle with their second pick of the draft? Then in the 6th round (with their forth pick of the draft) take a cornerback from one of the worst passing defenses in college football? Basically, when it comes to the Patriots nothing is ever certain, predictable, rational, conventional or whatever. What we don't know is the apex of what we do know. Nothing. Just take a looksee at their day two draft picks....

Forth round
127 -----Kareem Brown, DT, Miami
Fifth round
171 ---- Clint Oldenburg, OL, Colorado State

Sixth round
180 ---- Justin Rogers, LB, Southern Methodist University
202 ----Mike Richardson, CB, Notre Dame
208 ----Justise Hairston, RB, Central Connecticut State
209 ---- Corey Hilliard, OL, Oklahoma State

Seventh round
211 ---- Oscar Lua, LB, Southern California
247 ---- Mike Elgin, G/C/T, Iowa

If you predicted any one of those picks then give yourself a slap on the back - but don't - because you didn't. Nobody did... I'll have more on the actual players and their impact on the Patriots this year later.

Meriweather & Day One of the NFL Draft

As I predicted the Patriots drafted University of Miami safety Brandon Meriweather in the first round of the NFL draft yesterday. He can step in and start right away or he can come along slowly as an understudy to his kindness Rodney Harrison. Either way, no matter what he does this year, he's a great addition to the New England secondary and the Patriots.

As far as the rest of the Patriots draft day - in which they did nothing but trade away picks for next years draft. I really have no idea on what their doing but I sort of trust them to do the right thing. It's really impossible to judge anything right now. The teams that everyone is saying made the biggest draft day splash today and yesterday in a few years will be critized for wasting so many picks on players that ended up doing nothing so... don't jump to any conclusions.

However two teams I thought really improved themselves in this draft were the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers. Both of them needed to have excptional drafts in order to stay afloat and it right now appears both did. Starting with the Browns, they got Brady Quinn and Joe Thomas in the first round then got a really good cornerback, Eric Wright, in the second. The Panthers ended up getting three potential first round value picks with linebacker Jon Beason (first round, 25 overall), USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, and the highest rated center in the draft, Ryan Kalil.

Randy Moss is a Patriots!

The Patriots traded for Oakland star wide receiver Randy Moss today. From what I know they gave up a 4th round pick to get him. I guess you could say "touchdown Patriots!"
Update on the Moss signing

Final Predictions

The Patriots will draft at least 3 players tomorrow. Other then that nothing is certain. Oh yeah, even what I just said is uncertain... I really am hoping for a really good linebacker and cornerback or safety. Moving down into the 2d round is a possibility but if the Patriots decide to stick around where they currently are, they have a lot of opportunities. The possible blockbuster trade of the day might be the Houston Texans trading the Patriots their 10 overall pick for the Pat's 24 and 28. The whole goal of that move for the Patriots in that would be to pick up Mississippi Inside Linebacker Patrick Willis. We'll see....

2007 NFL Mock (Mock) Draft

-------1) The Oakland Raiders pick with the first overall selection of the 2007 NFL Draft bottle consumer/actual position unknown Ingrid*

Very smart choice for the Raiders to not trade down and instead take the best player available in the Draft. Ingrid can't do much but what she can do is meaningful, if anyone could figure out exactly what meaningful contribution she can bring to the Raiders. "I bring a lot of things to the Raiders,"Ingrid said in a post draft conference call with reporters. "I can almost crawl, almost talk and my bottle drinking skills are el la m'ucho - unsurpassed - the best in my class!" She certainty looks to be receiving a lot of bottles from current Raiders quarterback Jeff George in 2007 as the Raiders broke the record for most 4th quarter crybaby losses and hope to further that record this year. "We're a young team man," Jeff George said. "I mean like, when I was around our star player wasn't a 8 month year old carrying and receiving bottles for touchdowns. I guess you could say it's like 19th century phomoma man."

Grade: A - Still lingering questions about weight.

--------2) The Detroit Lions pick with the second overall selection of the 2007 NFL Draft - now former Patriots Vice President and Player Personnel manager Scott Pioli

In order to have a good draft in the first place you need to have someone that knows how to actually draft better then special team role players with a top 10 pick. Pioli fills a need greater then any other on a Lions team that has been eaten alive by Vikings, and torn apart by Bears in the last few decades.

Grade: B - Team also needed to address holes at cornerback, safety, linebacker, defensive line, wide receiver, tight end, quarterback, running back and punter.

--------3) The Cleveland Browns pick with the third overall selection of the 2007 NFL Draft - now former Patriots Head Couch Bill Belichick

Welcome back! Cleveland Herald headline "Beloved Bill Returns Again".... Wait till the first loss though...

Grade F - Belichick announces surprise retirement after hearing draft news

---------4) The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pick with the forth overall selection of the 2007 NFL Draft - Calvin Johnson, wide receiver from Georgia Tech.

How can you draft an actual player when you still have Al Gore available at this spot? This pick makes no sense at all. One NFL personal director that I met while walking down the radio ally described the pick as a "a typical Tampa Bay wasted pick on a player with some upside but hardly any negatives or character issues."

Grade F - With Al Gore still available any other player is a bad pick. Plus, Johnson is an unproven product. In his entire lifetime he has never once played in a NFL game. To many questions and not enough sure answers to pull the trigger on Johnson so I give the Buc’s an F. Sorry.

---------5) The Arizona Cardinals pick with the fifth overall selection of the 2007 NFL Draft - Al Gore

The Cardinals have been lacking big time player since the earth started getting a half degree higher. Gore can scare opposing teams no matter where he lines up and is a constant threat to fool opposing defensive players into thinking that their melting like the polar bears and then running by them as they stand there like icebergs.

Grade A+ - Brilliant pick and the Cardinals will be holding a meeting with the Pope tomorrow to thank him for helping Gore drop this far to their pick.

James is a Patriot!

The Patriots signed former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Tory James to a one year deal today. He's durable (only missing 2 games in the last 9 years) , and picks off a lot of passes (39 interceptions in his NFL career). Solid pickup, James should start off and on with Ellis Hopps and if Samuel returns the Patriots have three really good cornerbacks.

2007 Patriots Mock Draft: Rounds 1-3

) 1st Round: 24 Pick Overall - Chris Houston, Cornerback from the University of Arkansas, 5-9, 185 pounds.

In order to survive vs the Indianapolis Colts you need to have at least three good cornerbacks. Houston is the best corner in the draft and would compete for a starting job right away. Further insentive for this pick also has to be the Asante Samuel contract dispute situation. If Samuel were to hold out or get traded without a suitable replacement the Patriots can forget any dreams of a Super Bowl victory in 07.

-Other possible picks for the Pats at this point -Darrelle Revis, Cornerback, University of Pittsburgh (5-11, 204). If Houston isn't around for the Pats, Revis might merit a pick. Also Jon Beason, Inside Linebacker, University of Miami (6-0, 237), is going to be a really solid inside linebacker in the NFL and if the Patriots like him enough they might just pick him here and forget about the spot for the rest of the draft.

) 1st Round: 28 Pick Overall - Brandon Meriweather, Safety from the University of Miami, 5-11, 195.

Rodney Harrison needs a replacement and Meriweather would be a prefect pick to do just that. UM safety's also have a good reputation for being great players in the NFL (Ed Reed, Sean Taylor).

-Other possible pick for the Pats at this point - LaMarr Woodley, OLB from Michigan. Potential All Pro, if Meriweather is gone at this point Woodley would be very much worth the pick.

* If the Patriots were to do a major trade up in the 1st round it would be to get either, Florida Safety Reggie Nelson, or University of Mississippi Inside Linebacker Patrick Willis. Also, a move up a couple spots to the 22 pick make sure that they get Chris Houston won't be a big surprise.

If on the other hand the Patriots decide to move down into the second round of the draft where they currently have no picks, the players they would most likely be aiming at would be Brian Leonard, FB, Rutgers, David Harris, Inside Linebacker from Michigan (6-2, 243), or Brandon Siler, Inside Linebacker from Florida (6-2, 241). A potential bonk me on the head and call me Barry Bonds pick could be Antonino Gonzales, WR from Ohio State. With the number of wide receivers on the Patriots though, I would doubt that that would happen.

) Third Round 28th pick, (90th overall) Zak DeOssie, Inside Linebacker, Brown University (6-4, 250). DeOssie would be a great backup to Tedy Bruschi and has all the tools to eventuality could replace him as the teams leader on the defense.

-Other possible pick for the Pats at this point - Michael Bush, (6-3, 253), Running Back, Louisville, if he's still around then the Patriots may be interested. Also Jason Hill, (6-0, 210) Wide Receiver,Washington State would fit well into the Pats crowded receiver unit.

Mock Draft

Eric's 2007 NFL Mock Draft

Here are my picks, 1-32:

1. OAKLAND RAIDERS
WR Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech HT: 6'4 WT: 235

Despite the widespread call for LSU's JaMarcus Russell, Oakland's Al Davis has found his man in CJ. Johnson is universally considered the no. 1 talent in the draft, and even considered by some the best wide receiver ever to come out of college in NFL history. The Raiders like Russell and understand the need for a franchise quarterback (they've given up on Andrew Walter already), but Johnson's talent is too irresistible to overlook.

2. DETRIOT LIONS
QB Brady Quinn, Notre Dame HT: 6'4 WT: 227

Brady Quinn is obviously the Lions' man. The front brass is in love with his style and talent. And Detriot would be a good fit for Quinn, because he'd have a decent corps of receivers to work with (Pro Bowler Roy Williams, Mike Williams, Pro Bowler Mike Furrey, RB Tatum Bell). There have been some rumors that Quinn reminds the Lions too much of Joey Harrington, but these rumors are simply speculation.

3. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (AFTER TRADE WITH CLEVELAND)
QB JaMarcus Russell, LSU HT: 6'6 WT: 260

Minnesota trades their 7th overall pick and 41st overall pick to Cleveland for the 3rd overall pick. This trade may seem highly improbable, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The Vikings, who lost franchise quarterback Daunte Culpepper last year, are in dire need of a quarterback after losing the wildly erratic Brad Johnson. Russell is practically a carbon copy of Culpepper. Same size, same cannon arm, same type of game. He would fit right into the Vikings system. And Cleveland would most likely accept this deal, because it allows them to have a shot at stellar defensive players (LaRon Landry, Jamaal Anderson, Alan Branch) as well as the 4th and 9th picks of the second round.


4. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
DE Gaines Adams, Clemson HT: 6'5 WT: 258

This is a spot in which Tampa Bay could easily trade down, but I do not think they'll get the value they want for no. 4. The Buccaneers need depth on the end of the D-Line, especially since Simeon Rice is now breaking down. Adams is a very well-rounded defensive end who will last for awhile.

5. ARIZONA CARDINALS
OT Joe Thomas, Wisconsin HT: 6'8 WT: 311

This is probably the easiest pick to predict in the draft. If Thomas falls the Arizona, they'll probably take him within the first 2 minutes. Matt Leinart needs protection, and with the release of Leonard Davis, Arizona is looking for a franchise tackle. Thomas fits that bill perfectly.

6. WASHINGTON REDSKINS
DE Jamaal Anderson, Arkansas HT: 6'5 WT: 288

This is Washington's only pick until round 5, so they'd better make it a good one. Since Gaines Adams is already gone, this pick basically comes down to Anderson, Amobi Okoye, and Alan Branch. Whereas Okoye and Branch are extremely tempting, Anderson is the best pure-pass rusher in the draft and Washington needs that right about now.

Click HERE to read the rest of the mock draft