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National Football League
Draft King Mailbag
January 6, 2006
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
It's going to be very catch-as-catch-can for the next little while, as the radio show that I work for debuts on January 9, 2006 and I'll be up in NYC working on that for the first two weeks. Thrilling? You'd better believe it. But the downside is that keeping up with things on here is going to be tough for a little while.
From: Cainhouse@aol.com
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Jan 4, 2006 6:46 PM
Subject: Hello
Glad that your back. Can you name the last white running back and wide receiver picked in the first down? Excluding Matt Jones because he was considered a TE out of college. My guess was Tommy Vardell out of Stanford or was he considered a FB? What are your thoughts about the Browns draft? Defense all the way or possibly offense?
Lou: I don't keep track of player race; I'm no politically correct robot, but I've never been one to say, "Hey, check out whitey running with the ball!"
I do have to disagree about Matt Jones, though; he was billed as a WR all the way coming out of Arkansas. Granted, he played QB while he was there, but he was pitched as a WR to teams (and understandably so, after seeing how amazing his skills are at that position.) And Vardell I'd say was a short-yardage specialist RB. But beyond that, I don't know about the racial breakdown of first-round RBs and WRs, and I don't particularly care.
Regarding the Browns in 2006, I think a strong dose of defense is just what the doctor ordered. However, OT is a position that might also be considered, but I feel fairly confident that Romeo Crannell is going to do everything he can to start adding some high-impact defensive players to his squad, primarily in the front seven. Pass rushers, skilled LBs, etc.
From: Justin Collins
Sent: Friday, January 6, 2006 12:18 AM
To: LouPickney@hotmail.com
Subject: Hats off?
Hey there,
Nice mock, in general. I am a Raiders fan, and I don't see DeMeco Ryans being a top 10 selection. We do need a good OLB, but only Hawk is worth that high of a pick. I would LOVE to see Vince Young come out and Oakland get him or work a trade to get Leinart, but having drafted Andrew Walter last year I'll bet they'll bring in someone like Jon Kitna or (gasp!) keep Collins to groom Walter. I have no idea how good he is. He broke Elway's TD record at Arizona State, and Norv Turner said he was the #1 QB on their board last year. But I think, if he is THAT good, why did he slip to RD 3? They say it is because he tore up his shoulder in his final college game, but I still don't think he'd slip that far if he was so great. I mean, look what a major injury did to Willis McGahee's draft stock. Not much.
Mario Williams would be a great pickup as well, as great pass rushers are hard to find, and a Burgess/Williams combo would be pretty awesome in theory (of course, so was Porter/Moss/Jordan, in theory). I've also seen an awful lot of mocks with them taking DT Hialoti Ngata (?).
Anyway, the main reason I wrote is because I saw you give the NFL "hats off" for the 49ers/Raiders tiebreaker. However, they did release a statement saying that the Raiders won the toss, but then the next day released another statement saying it was a mistake and they won't hold the coin flip until after the Super Bowl. Bastards! The No Fun League really hates Al Davis...
Just thought you'd like to know....
Lou: Thanks for the info on the coin flip... that is really amazing to me. The NFL actually held the coin flip (I read up on this), then nullified it and will now hold it at the combine -- in February! That is nonsense. Tell me how that makes any sense, or how it's at all fair to the Raiders... or the 49ers, for that matter. I love the NFL, but when the league does stupid stuff like that, it really makes me angry.
As for Haloti Ngata, the Raiders taking him would seem to spell the end for Warren Sapp in Oakland. Granted, I've known that Sapp was overrated and overpaid since his second-to-last season in Tampa Bay, when he was living off of past accolades and name value, but have the Raiders now figured it out? We shall see.
From: Courtney Steere
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Jan 6, 2006 1:39 PM
Subject: Concerning Tennessee Titans QB situation
In your newest mailbag you note that you don't believe the Titans would select a QB because they like Volek. A year ago I would have agreed, but Volek has really fallen out of favor this year here in TN. They didn't even start him in week 17 when McNair was out. If they stay at the number three pick (which I doubt if they can find a taker in the top 10,) and Young comes out look for them to take either Lienert or Young whoever is still there. If Young doesn't come out look for them to take the best player up no matter the position.
Lou: I gave this some thought last night, and I now think if Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Vince Young are all in the draft, the Titans will end up with one of the three. Moreover, with the talk now being that Steve McNair will rework his deal and return, and that Billy Volek (and agent Drew Rosenhaus) are angling for a trade, it would make even more sense for the Titans to land either Young or Leinart. Norm Chow was Leinart's offensive coordinator for USC's most recent 1½ national titles (that whole three-peat talk at Southern Cal was nonsense considering that the first USC national title was split with LSU), and the idea of those two reuniting in Nashville has to be an exciting one for Titans fans.
The next question becomes: where will Volek go? But that's another question for another time.
From: Douglas Hamm
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Jan 6, 2006 2:51 PM
Subject: Ahmad Brooks to New England
Let me warn you away from the Ahmad Brooks to New England pick. Last year, Brooks was a Butkus finalist as a sophomore. In February he had surgery to remove a cyst from the back of one knee. This kept him out of the lineup until the 4th week of UVa's 2005 season. Since then, he has sustained additional injuries to his ankle and back. All in all, he played in 6 games in 2005 and was ineffective at best. He did not suit up for the Music City Bowl.
There are some rumors around that Al Groh was not satisfied with Brooks' effort to get back on the field this year. I don't know if that is true, but if it is, Bill Belechik will find out about it. He and Groh are close personal friends going back to when they were both coordinators for Bill Parcels in New England. They talk all the time (this according to Groh himself).
Al has great credability with his contacts. He recommended Chris Canty to Parcels last year and look how that turned out. If there are questions about Ahmad Brooks, New England will have the inside info. In addition, Brooks was considered a lock to come out this year. Last year he would have been a surefire 1st rounder, maybe top 15. Now, he has probably fallen out of the 1st round, so he could decide to stay another year to work his way back toward a top pick.
Lou: Very interesting insight. I did a little research on the topic after receiving your e-mail, and an article in the Roanoke Times seems to back up what you say. But if Groh is down on Brooks, how does that bode for Brooks' chances in 2006 for Virginia? We'll find out for sure on all of the underclassmen by January 15.
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