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Lou Pickney's 2024 NFL Mock Draft


National Football League
Draft King Mailbag

April 10, 2006
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com

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


From: Tyson Fuehrer
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Apr 10, 2006 1:08 PM
Subject: Mock Draft

Do you really think after trading Wayne Gandy the Saints can afford to draft anyone but D’Brick? Jamaal Brown can only cover one side and there isn’t anyone else left in free agency to protect Drew Brees’ surgically repaired shoulder.

I believe if the Raiders are smart, they should take Haloti Ngata and then draft a OLB with their next pick. In most drafts Carpenter, Howard, and Ryans seem to be making it through to second round. Some agree, others don’t…Vince Young, in my opinion, is too much of chance with a sub-par line and defense has over and over again proven to win games/championships.

The Steelers would never pass on Lendale White is he was ever to make it this far (Carolina, I could see taking him).

Lou: You make a good point about the Saints trading Wayne Gandy. I'm starting to think that the Saints definitely trading the #2 overall pick is more a case of, as Oasis would say, Definitely Maybe.

The one thing that bothers me is that the Saints are saying that they plan to move Jamaal Brown from right OT to left OT. D'Brickashaw Ferguson is a natural left OT, and while he's a rookie, he's one of the best to come out in the past couple of years. The only knock on him going into the off-season was his size, and he put on 15 pounds without losing any quickness at the combine. A few say he lacks a mean streak, but if he was a bully then he'd risk being labeled an "attitude problem" or something of the sort.

To put it another way... why would the Saints move Brown to left OT, then take a guy in Ferguson who is such a good left OT? Or is New Orleans trying to keep all options open going into the draft?

The whole premise of the Saints trading the #2 pick was to get a defensive player. By trading Grady, they got a defensive player (Falcons safety Bryan Scott.) It's hard to fathom who New Orleans would hope to get for the #2 pick, since the idea was that the trade would involve them receiving a defensive player in the deal.

At this point, I'm ready to call shenanigans on the whole thing as something leaked to the press to try and bluff the Titans into trading up one spot. With Tennessee apparently not budging, the Saints have perhaps moved to plan B: out with the old (Gandy is 35) and in with the new. With the depth at OLB that should still be on the board when New Orleans picks at #34 overall in round two, it is entirely possible that the Saints will take D-Brick in round one and an OLB in round two.

Maybe LenDale White won't fall out of round one... But I've seen RBs who have been higher touted (i.e. Kevin Jones) slip out of the first round before.


From: Joe Landon
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Apr 10, 2006 2:00 PM
Subject: Jaguars @ #28

Enjoyed your mock draft, but there is no way the Jaguars will pick Youboty at #28. They just spent $10 Million on Brian Williams to fill their CB need and they have Rashean Mathis on the other side. If the draft were to fall in line with your mock, I would see them picking L. Maroney, L. Pope, or N. Mangold. My guess would be Maroney though because they just had him in for a visit.

Lou: Point taken about B. Williams. I thought that Minnesota still had him (apparently ESPN's website has as much trouble keeping track of this as I do; it still lists Williams as a corner on Minnesota's roster.)

Jacksonville not giving Greg Jones a chance to be the feature RB is a mistake, in my opinion, though by taking Laurence Maroney, they'd add an excellent RB to the roster *and* block division rival Indianapolis from having the opportunity to draft him.

Keep in mind, though, that visits don't always correlate to picks. Some teams will go out of their way to not have visits with guys who are of interest to them, lest they potentially tip their hand to teams who might be inclined to trade up above them to take that player for themselves.


From: Reif Reifsnyder
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Apr 10, 2006 2:02 PM
Subject: Chargers first rounder

For the life of me I can't figure why the Chargers would take an outside linebacker (Greenway).

Merriman and Foley start, with Sean Phillips and Marques Harris backing up.

In fact, I would list OLB as the Chargers' deepest position.

There are far more pressing needs on that team, notably OL, and CB and WR.

Lou: With that 3-4 defense, and both Shawn Merriman and Shawn Phillips being DE/OLB tweeners, I'd think that taking another OLB would not be unreasonable. Consider that Steve Foley turns 31 this year and that he hasn't played a full 16 games since 2000. Moreover, with the loss of Ben Leber to Minnesota (made possible because of Merriman's success), it is true that San Diego could look to OT (too high for OG or C), CB or WR. And maybe San Diego really would take WR Chad Jackson, if he's on the board (as I project him to be as of this writing) over an OLB, especially since Reche Caldwell went to New England as a free agent. But I don't know that I concur about the Chargers' depth at OLB.


From: Dan Goodell
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Apr 10, 2006 4:07 PM
Subject: The Browns and Sims

Ernie Sims has shot up the draft boards the past few month, and that's always a concern to me when a player gets this hot this close to the draft. I haven't done a lot of research on Sims, but I've heard he's had some concussions and is a bit small for a 3-4. I think/hope the Browns will pass on him. I see the Browns going with Bunkley at 12 (although I'd rather see their NT/DE position addressed in the later rounds), and going with the best player available (and I can't see that being Sims). The Browns do need on OLB and ILB, but this is a good draft for linebackers, so there isn't a need to reach here.

And as someone who's moved over ten times due to jobs, I hope YOUR move went smoothly.

Lou: Thanks for the well-wishes on the move. It went well; I have a beautiful apartment, and I hope I won't have to move again for awhile. I had help with this move, which is certainly better than when I moved from Huntington, WV to Tampa in 2001 on my own. That was not fun. At all.

Regarding Ernie Sims, it's not always a bad thing when someone shoots up the board; typically, it means that they excelled in off-season workouts, which is an encouraging sign for any player.

Sims is very athletic, a fast player with great coverage skills and a nose for snuffing out the run. If you saw any Florida State games, you likely saw Sims in the action at one time or another; it was rare that you'd go for long without seeing him in on a play. He's also very strong, another important trait for an NFL LB.

The downsides? At 5'11", he's two-to-three inches shorter than the prototype height for a linebacker. I've heard him bill himself at 6' even, which if that's true puts him right in there. I've read knocks on his weight, but at 230 he's within five pounds of DeMeco Ryans. He's not a brickhouse like 255 pounder Bobby Carpenter, but he makes up for it with his speed and pure athleticism. Sims also has the dreaded "character issues", as he was accused last year of domestic abuse in an incent with his girlfriend, though he ended up pleading no contest to disorderly conduct. And in this country, it's innocent until proven guilty, but the clouds of accusation are going to hang over him nontheless.

Sims' overagressiveness on the field is probably his biggest weakness, but with proper coaching he can curtail that. He's good at shedding blocks, and while some think he'd be better suited for a Cover-2 type scheme, I think he'd fit in any situation, including a 3-4. In fact, because a 3-4 typically has tweener DE/OLB types who are smaller than the "typical" OLB, Sims should fit in just fine if Cleveland takes him.

The concussion problems of the past are a concern, but assuming that Sims clears the medical tests, he should be good to go for whichever team selects him on draft day.


From: Craig Rotz
To: LouPickney@gmail.com
Date: Apr 10, 2006 5:44 PM
Subject: Vikings Cornerback Situation

Brian Williams was signed by the Jaguars. Vikes definitely need depth at CB.

They probably feel they need the QB, LB and FS depending on how they feel about Dustin Fox, their 3rd round pick last year.

I know the Vikings say they want the draft to become their primary method by which the team is built. If so, they will draft primarily for value which includes fitting their scheme and the positions that may be difficult to obtain in next years draft.

Lou: Yep, without Brian Williams, the Vikings need depth at CB. Duly noted. But I don't think they'll use a first rounder to get it.

If one of the "Big Three" QBs fall to them, I think the Vikings will go QB, but otherwise no. As for LB, the Vikings signed Ben Leber from San Diego in the off-season; I don't see it being a hole for them. Realistically, the Vikings trading up to get one of the highly touted QBs seems like the best move for them.


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