NFL Draft

[Tom Servo]

I have a question about the upcoming draft. Is Joey Harrington good enough to be drafted in the top 8 overall? People around here are wary of drafting Pac-10 quarterbacks. Ryan Leaf and Cade McNown are wonderful recent examples of this. I also think whomever takes Roy Williams is going to get a great player.

[jets fan]

I think that not too many QBs taken that high up wind up being all that great, regardless of if they're PAC-10 or not. For every Peyton Manning that comes out, there's a Rick Mirer, Heath Shuler, Akili Smith, and the 2 gems you mentioned. As far as Harrington, he's probably the 2nd best QB in the draft, but it wouldn't be off the wall if he dropped below the 8th spot, according to ESPN's draft QB Preview (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/gen/wire?messageId=8344116).

[Ducky]

I hope he drops that low so he can at least have a shot at getting on a mid-level or improving team. If he's drafted top 5, he'll likely go to some suck-fest like Detroit.

[General Kenobi (ret.)]

I thought Detroit was pretty well set on McMahon as their QB of the future.

[egg]

Detroit won't take Harrington, they are trying to give the appearance that they are taking him so that they could trade down. The problem is no one is buying it (except maybe Jerry Jones). They are taking Quentin Jammer.

I keep thinking he is going to Buffalo, but none of the so-called experts agree with me.

[Cannonball]

The question for the Buffalo Bills is whether they want to draft a QB for the future (admittedly risky) or go with a proven quarterback, namely Bledsoe. They have a competent starter in Alex Van Pelt. I think they'd be foolish to go after Bledsoe, and would be better served by going with someone younger (Harrington). Not to say that Bledsoe is a poor quarterback. On the contrary, he's great. But I don't see the point of paying him the kind of $ he commands when the team is at least a couple of years away from contending.

[RTackle]

Egg,

While Jerry may buy everything else, I don't think he's buying this just for the sake of buying it - rather, I think he's hopeful. I think he'd like to trade up to take Jammer, but I agree that the Lions want Jammer and probably won't trade out of the third spot. Instead of doing something stupid, Jerry should just sit tight and get a great player (like a Roy Williams) at 6. The other reasonable option would be to trade down a couple of spots (say to the Bengals, who may want Harrington or Philip Buchanon) get another pick and take one of the stud DT's.

[Ducky]

Please don't let him go to the Bengals. They suck worse than Detroit.


QUAAAAAAACK

[Tom Servo]

One thing I don't like about the draft is when you wait 10,000 hours until your team gets their first round pick and they choose an offensive lineman. I realize that he will help the team, but you can't get very excited about drafting a guard.

[jets fan]

When it comes to the draft, every team has needs that they have to address. As long as my team is adressing its needs, I won't complain. Right now, their plan is to take either a defensive end or a cornerback in the first round - they plan on going defense through the first 3 rounds. That is our team need and I'm all for them satisying it. Of course, you never know if a sensational player will drop down to the 22nd spot (where the Jets are) and if that happens, you pretty much have to go with such a player regardless of your plan.

Also, in order to have a truly successful draft, you have to have a good second day. Most people don't tune in for the mid to later rounds, but that's where you can really get the bang for your buck. Many stars and consistent starters come out of the mid/later rounds and you have to keep an eye on that talent pool.

[Anonymous]

I was very happy with the Texans selections. I would have traded down to grab Mike Williams from Texas but the team may never have another opportunity at a potential star quarterback. The Texans provide Carr with a target and protection. I'm hopeful for a Superbowl run in 2004 when Houston hosts the big game. Perhaps a big name running back in next year's draft after the offensive line has a year to gel. It's too much to expect a winning season this year.

I'm surprised that Harrington went so high.

[Cannonball]

The Bills did all right with this Williams giant. Man, they need help everywhere.

The GB Pukers made yet another Round 1 mistake with Walker. Trading away a Second Round pick to move up eight spots and draft a carbon copy of last year's second round bust. What a joke.

[General Kenobi (ret.)]

The Bills did all right with this Williams giant. Man, they need help everywhere.

The GB Pukers made yet another Round 1 mistake with Walker. Trading away a Second Round pick to move up eight spots and draft a carbon copy of last year's second round bust. What a joke.

Two words for you: Tony Mandarich.

[Tom Servo]

One thing I don't like about the draft is when you wait 10,000 hours until your team gets their first round pick and they choose an offensive lineman. I realize that he will help the team, but you can't get very excited about drafting a guard.

Well, my team drafted an offensive lineman in the first round, but at least he is supposed to be good. Let's hope so.

[jets fan]

Well, my team drafted an offensive lineman in the first round, but at least he is supposed to be good. Let's hope so.

Every player that is picked in the 1st round is 'supposed to be good', but only time will tell. I read a good quote from an article about the draft and it said something to the effect of the fact that scouts, coaches, and general managers spend countless hours watching film of these players, interviewing them, doing background research, etc. Given all of that hard work by all these knowledgeable people, how is it that they still get so many of these picks comically wrong? As OWK said, Tony Mandarich - I'll throw in Ryan Leaf, Aundray Bruce, Heath Shuler, Andre Ware, etc.

[egg]

Sorry Ducky. :(

We have so many holes to fill, I really didn't think we would take a QB without testing to see if McMahon was going to be our guy.

I was completely out of touch this weekend, so I don't know what the rest of the draft looks like.

[Ducky]

Glad to see him get drafted so high though after all the talk of him dropping to the low 1st round or even to the 2nd round. I like the Lions, but they're like my Seahawks in that most years are heartbreakers.

[treyso]

I don't remember the source, but Washington was going to take Javon Walker with the next pick (21). So the pack traded up to get him. Then Washington traded down to 32 and took a QB. Plus, if you listen to Sherman, he wanted to make sure he got his WR. He probably could have gotten another WR at #28, but who? Not the quality. Bryant has issues, his name is Antonio. Who knows about Gaffney, Reed is too short. I like the prospects of Walker.

Sherman also said that his 2nd round pick didn't mean much to him because he would've had to grab or 3rd or 4th round caliber player at that time, and he didn't think it was worth it. So for me, I won't knock the trade. If it gets Freeman out of our lineup, I love it!

Thank god they drafted a Safety. A Butler type of player.

[quentin cassidy]

As a Syracuse fan, I was so excited to see someone (Colts) have the guts to take a chance on Dwight Freeney (a smallish 265 lb DE) early, as the 11th pick overall, when most 'experts' had him projected in the mid-to-late 20's. Having Freeney and Marvin Harrison definitely make the Colts my favorite AFC team.

Despite what Lee Corso said about how he didn't have any tackles vs. Mt. McKinnie and Miami last year (when Miami's primary objective was to shut him down), I think Freeney's going to be special. He sacked Michael Vick 5 times in a game a couple years ago, and had a string of like 10 games in a row with at least 2 sacks. Some others criticized the Colts for not trading down, since they likely could've still gotten Freeney 18th or 20th, but when a guy's stock has been rising during draft week (when everyone found out that he's gone from 250 to 265 since the end of last season), I guess they didn't want to take the chance on losing him. They sure needed the help on defense.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

You'd think that this year's Super Bowl would be proof enough that star QB's are impossible to predict.
The Texans will need make an O-line to protect all that money back there. This is the GM's job. We'll see.
Most inportantly, the Texans should be huge underdogs in nearly all of their games. Take the points. They won't have enough gamblers betting for them just yet, so the spread is always too high.

[Cosmo]

Dr. T, did you miss the expansion draft! The Texans have possibly the best Tackle combo in the league. There really isn't a whole lot of need in the line.

Pack screwed up again. They are like the Colts of the 80's. Best recieving corps in 2-3 years, now that's funny.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Tackles are important. I'd have taken that big guy from Miami. That way, the QB (whoever he is) stays healthy, his brain remains intact, and he will actually retain the learning.
I'm just saying that an O-Line is important. I'm not keeping up with individual teams, since this is a basic need of every NFL team. Good luck to the Texans. So glad MY tax dollars aren't supporting them, though.

[RedSoxFan]

As a Colts fan, I'm glad to hear good words about Freeney. I was wondering why they took someone at 11th when he was projected much lower. There was an article on espn.com saying he was a big winner on draft day, because getting drafted up there instead means about $2M more in signing bonus.

[Han Solo]

I thought Patrick Ramsey was a great choice for the 'Skins. They need a QB, and Danny Woe-full just hasn't shown he can play at the pro level. Add that to the fact that Ramsey would have been a good choice at 18, but the 'Skins traded down to 32 and still got him along with some other fresh meat, and I'd rate this draft pretty good. Kinda wish they had gone and got a guard, but hopefully they will address that need after June 1.