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Lou Pickney's 2024 NFL Mock Draft


National Football League
Draft King Mailbag

January 19, 2005
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com

Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.


From: Robert Wheeler
Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 6:30 PM
To: LouPickney@hotmail.com
Subject: Chargers draft

I really like how the Chargers' picks came out in the first round of your mock. Braylon Edwards would be great if he's still available (which I doubt). I'd prefer Shaun Cody instead of Marcus Spears at pick 28, but they'd both be great fits as 3-4 defensive ends. Do you see maybe a David Baas making it to the Chargers 2nd rounder? He seems like he'd be a great fit depth-wise with his ability to play both center and guard.

Lou: Edwards falling to #12 is borderline -- Dallas could very well take him one spot above. Oakland at #7 is also a possibility, and the Bears at #4 might like Edwards over Mike Williams. And don't discount the chance of another team moving up to take him. But with that said, I think it is plausable.

Spears and Shaun Cody could both work well in a 3-4 defense. Spears is especially tempting in my opinion because of his ability to play both DE and DT. Some think Spears will be gone before that spot, but there should be a good DT or DE available there for San Diego. Or, if Dan Cody falls up in the top part of the draft, he could end up going to the Chargers at #12. That's a nice factor of having multiple first rounders; you have multiple chances of having guys you want slide to you.


From: mdp2@msstate.edu
Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2005 11:09 PM
To: LouPickney@hotmail.com
Subject: Draft King

Are you kidding me with the Titans passing over Antrel Rolle to take Derrick Johnson? A general rule in the NFL is never pass up: 1)potential superstar QBs or 2)lockdown DBs, and in that order. The Titans are deep at LB, with Pro Bowler Keith Bulluck, Peter Sirmon, Rocky Calmus, and Rocky Boiman. These guys got dinged up over the 2004 season, but should be healthy and deep again come training camp.

On the other hand, the Titans have a suspect secondary, with Pro Bowler Samari Rolle the only bright spot. The Titans organization has been successful with Rolles at DB, plus learning from a Pro Bowler cousin couldn't be a bad situation to start off one's career. If Tennessee dishes Andre Dyson this offseason like it's been reported, I see this as much more likely a move. Sure, we used an early pick on DB Andre Woolfork 2 years ago, but he is not the calibre of either Rolle.

As a Titans fan, I'd be thrilled for either D. Johnson or A. Rolle suit up for us next year, but it seems like Rolle fills a more glaring need. You need to change up your board to reflect this.

Lou: You know, I was all set to write a long response refuting this... but you make a really good point. I was under the impression that Andre Dyson was a restricted free agent, but nay, he's unrestricted. As it is, Samari Rolle is a potential cap casualty, though I think the Titans will find a way to keep him.

With Johnson, I figured the Titans would take the best player on the board, since they didn't have any glaring needs (besides needing a "heal all" spell to use on its players). But taking Dyson out of the mix makes Rolle seem like a much more logical fit.


From: Sdsimpson75@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 10:57 AM
To: LouPickney@hotmail.com
Subject: Question on Wisc. Safety Leonard

Do you see Jim Leonard's skills projecting well to the NFL? The man was a one-man wrecking crew for Wisconsin and he seems to be both a good safety and a great special teams player.

I'd love to see Dallas pick him up. He might not have the skills to be a full-time safety at the NFL level, but teams can always use great special teamers that aren't liabilities if they actually have to play a regular position for a bit.

Lou: I presume you mean Jim Leonhard. He has NFL level speed, but he's 5'8" and only an average tackler. The fact that he can be used as a return man will boost his stock some, but I expect him to be a mid-to-late pick (5th to 7th round) or maybe make a camp as an undrafted free agent.


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