The D'Brickashaw Debate
National Football League
Draft King Mailbag
January 4, 2005
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: Bgrudy2004@***.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 4, 2005 10:03 AM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: mock draft
I am writing this just to make your draft a little more realistic. I am from Michigan and the newpapers here say that the Lions will likely draft a safety, tight end, or a guard. Other than that I think that your draft is one of the best on the web
Lou: The Lions do have needs at the positions you mentioned. However, in my estimation there is no player who will rank high enough at those positions to warrant being taken at #10 overall.
Moreover, the Lions would greatly benefit from a player like Mathias Kiwanuka (who I currently have slotted in their position). Adding an insanely skilled DE pass-rusher to the recipe wouldn't hurt anything in Detroit.
From: Matt Reynolds
Sent: Tuesday, January 4, 2005 11:38 AM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Draft Mistake
DeBrickshaw Ferguson will NOT be entering this year's draft he already announced that he'd be going back for another year. Also the Cleveland Browns will NOT take Mike Williams for 2 reasons, 1. Braylon Edwards is the top rated Reciever and will be the first reciever
selected prob by the chargers and williams will go to Dallas or Jax at 18 or 19 pending a trade up to about the 15 spot from a playoff team ie. Jets, Seahawks, Falcons. and secondly the browns will draft Aaron Rodgers with the 3 pick unless the Fins take him or trade the pick to someone else ie. Arizon , Oakland or Chicago
Lou: According to everything I've been able to find in the media and press as of today, D'Brickshaw Ferguson remains undecided on if he'll enter the draft. If you have an article where Ferguson indicates his intent to return to school, I'd love to see it. He'd be giving up a potential Top 5 spot by doing that.
One story that has not received much run is how the University of Virginia has THREE players who are draft-eligible who would likely be first round picks if they go pro. They are D'Brickashaw Ferguson (offensive tackle), Heath Miller (tight end) and Ahmad Brooks (outside linebacker). Imagine if all three returned to school for another season... or if all three decide to leave. Losing all of them would be very tough for Virginia, who is already entering next season without OG Elton Brown (who is also a first round prospect).
As for Rodgers going to the Browns, that is quite possible. I have more on Mike Williams in the next e-mail response.
From: Eddie Siwek
Sent: Tuesday, January 4, 2005 12:40 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: mock draft 2005
I was browsing your draft king mock draft and I was notifying you of a correction you should consider, being a life long CLEVELAND BROWNS fan and season ticket holder I'm informing you that there is no way in this world that the BROWNS will draft this year in the first round a guy who has sat out a year and plays wide receiver you might want to consider putting D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia in our slot for more accuracy and creditability to your mock draft.
Lou: If you believe the last e-mail, Ferguson won't even be in the 2005 draft. So we'll see on that.
As for Mike Williams, if he, who was a Top 10 prospect last year during his brief time being draft-eligible, falls to 18 or 19, I will be shocked. The guy has the goods now, just like he did last year. He would have to have a *horrible* combine and also bad private workouts for him to fall that far.
As for the Browns, people have been waiting for them to take a first round OT for awhile now, just like Colts fans have waited and waited for Indy to take a CB in the first round. It needs to happen, the evidence there is overwhelming, but nothing ever happens.
But with all of that said, Williams is a supremely talented receiver who would fit in great with Cleveland's offense. So we'll see what happens there...
From: Akil Malcolm
Sent: Tuesday, January 4, 2005 5:54 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: 1/3 mock draft
Why, unless Shaun Alexander leaves (god forbid), would the Seahawks draft a running back? Brown is good, but the Hawks have such obvious needs for help at linebacker (especially middle) and defensive line. What would be the logic behind that move? Is there someone not on the fist round board that they might be looking at?
Lou: Seattle faces a huge problem this off-season in that Walter Jones, Matt Hasselbeck AND Shaun Alexander are all free agents. The Seahawks would love to keep all three, but Walter Jones has been a perennial holdout who has been hit with the "franchise tag" the past two seasons to force him to stay. The Seahawks tried to get Hasselbeck to sign a new deal, but Hasselbeck instead is opting to test the free agent market. And things for Alexander returning sound even less good after his "I got stabbed in the back" comments regarding Coach Holmgren not giving him the ball at the end of Sunday's win over Green Bay, which cost Alexander a chance at being the NFL's leading rusher (he lost to Curtis Martin by one yard).
The Seahawks will either need to make some fast deals or make the tough decision of whom to allow to hit free agency. And bottom line, Alexander will demand a fortune, so allowing him to hit the open market might be a blessing in disguise. Plus, Seattle would be bringing in a great RB who could produce right away if they landed any of the three top guys (Cadillac, Benson and Ronnie Brown).
If not RB, then I would expect Seattle to look hard at University of Florida ILB Channing Crowder. Crowder hasn't officially declared for the draft yet, but with a coaching change coming to town, Crowder might decide to give the NFL a try, particularly if he does hold his spot as the #1 MLB in the draft. As for drafting D-Line, the team took a DT in the first round last year (Marcus Tubbs) and broke the bank to sign Rams free agent DE Grant Wistrom to a six-year, 33 million dollar contract last off-season (think of that when you wonder why Seattle can't get their current pending free agents signed). In short, the Seahawks have a lot of cash already tied up in their defensive line with the crew in place now. So I see them going MLB if they don't go RB... though if Crowder is gone before they pick and the big 3 RBs are gone, then they will face a very interesting decision.
