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National Football League
Draft King Mailbag

October 2, 2006
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com

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


From: Ted Hadid
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Sep 29, 2006 7:19 PM
Subject: Draftking.com is the Best!!

Hey Lou -

Love the site!! Just a quick question, where do you see Chris Leak going on draft day? I could be wrong, but wasn't he one of the top recruits coming out of high school? My thought is with Meyer's scheme in Florida (in which Alex Smith rose to the top of the draft board at Utah), I wondered if this could have the same impact on his draft status. Thanks.

Lou: I project Chris Leak as an early-to-mid second round pick as of now. He's a little smaller than Brady Quinn and Drew Stanton, albeit a bit faster (running a reported 4.65 40 yard dash, though I've seen 4.78 listed for him as well.) Being 5-11½ to 6' tall wouldn't seem like a big difference on the surface, but NFL scouts look at every detail, sometimes overanalyzing things. As for me, I simply try to guess who is going to go where, which is a different process altogether.

You're right that Leak was heavily recruited and was considered a major boon for Florida in January 2003. Ron Zook, a great recruiter but (thus far) mostly unsuccessful coach, brought him in when things with Leak and the University of Tennessee (where he had planned to go to college) fell apart.

Here's the thing with Leak and Urban Meyer -- Leak is *not* the prototypical Meyer-style QB. Freshman Tim Tebow is, though Meyer has balanced that well by getting Tebow enough game-time to keep him satisfied while not insulting Leak. It's a delicate balance.

Leak has earned the starting spot by being an accurate passer (most of the time) and by usually making the right calls on receivers, etc. If anything, Leak has impressed me by succeeding despite being thrown into a new situation.

It is possible that Leak will be a late first round pick, though it would likely be a team trading up (or way down) to get him. But say Detroit picks #2 overall, takes Adrian Peterson, then comes back in round two and snags Leak at that point. Who in Detroit would be mad about that (besides Kevin Jones?) Not many, I suspect.


From: Michael Band
To: Lou Pickney
Date: Sep 30, 2006 7:56 PM
Subject: strange request...

(Note, this is from a long e-mail that came complete with a mock draft; I've included certain pieces for analysis purposes.)

Hi, my name is Michael Band and I am 17 years old and a senior in high school. This will be a very strange request, so I just ask that you stick with this email and read it out. I've been working with NFLDraftforecast.com for the past four months, and recently they have merged with sporting news. So, they have the ability now to utilize their writers, meaning I'm out of the job. Really I'm just looking for a place to contribute and share my knowledge of the draft. So, my request is to give me a shot at contributing to your website.

4. Cleveland- Kenny Irons RB, Auburn (too high? wait til April)
7. Detroit- Drew Stanton QB, Michigan St. (really high on this kid)
13. Arizona- Levi Brown OG, Penn St. (yes i think he will play guard at the next level)
26. New England- Paul Pozlunszy LB, Penn St. (too low??? try watching game film of his)

Lou: While I'm not looking for any content contributors at this point, I appreciate the in-depth e-mail.

As for the picks listed (which I included because those four had comments with them), here are my thoughts. Kenny Irons to Cleveland at #4 is possible, but Irons at this point is the second-best back. The mock had Green Bay taking Adrian Peterson at #2, and that scenario is not outside the realm of possibility. Believe me, living near Birmingham, I've heard all about Auburn this fall. At 5'11" 200 lbs., he doesn't have the ideal bulk for a RB, but if he can put on 15-20 more pounds of muscle, there is breakout potential. As a point of reference, LaDainian Tomlinson is listed at 5'10" 220. Adrian Peterson is 6'2" 220, and I couldn't see any team taking Irons over Peterson at this point. Though, in this case, that issue isn't being argued.

Like you, I am bullish on Drew Stanton's NFL potential. A 6'3" 230 pound QB who runs a 4.8 40 and has excellent accuracy certainly fits the prototype of the modern NFL QB. If Detroit does take him, it will require forgetting the ghosts of Christmas past regarding Top 10 picks at QB (Joey Harrington) and from Michigan State (Charles Rogers.) But, barring injury, Stanton is the second-highest QB on the radar for the 2007 Draft.

Steve Hutchinson's move from Seattle to Minnesota brought attention to the most ignored position in the NFL: offensive guard. Taking a college tackle and moving him to guard is not unheard of in the NFL. Philadelphia took Shawn Andrews (who looked like a sure offensive tackle prospect) with a first round pick and made him play guard. What I think will matter more for Levi Brown is what team takes him. With Leonard Davis in town, Arizona doesn't need another expensive offensive tackle, so the Cardinals could theoretically draft Brown and have him play guard. But if, say, Kansas City drafts Brown, I see him being used as an OT.

As for Paul Posluszny, the gameplay concern is related into his right knee, which he hurt in the Orange Bowl, partially tearing his PCL and MCL. The Notre Dame game exposed him at the ILB spot trying to match up with running backs in coverage (particularly Darius Walker), but some blame may belong to the large, bulky brace he wore to protect himself during the game. He has played better with the new brace he has, and he had a strong game against Northwestern in which he was able to run down a RB from behind.

Posluszny may not go as high as I have him on my list now, if for nothing else because a linebacker going in the top five is a rare thing. Texas OLB Derrick Johnson fell to #15 in the draft two years ago, and he was a very highly touted prospect. Posluszny needs to maintain his recent showings of speed, and hold up in the combine, but wherever he goes I predict good things for him on the next level.


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