Thursday, February 19, 2009

Pre Combine NFL Draft: Picks 21-32

PICK #32: Pittsburgh Steelers

Well, the world champs are finally on the board. Obviously, they don't have a lot of weaknesses overall, but there is one thing that glared a bit. Their offensive line made Big Ben run around way too much. I look for them to take Duke Robinson to upgrade their internal blocking after it was exposed by the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. Duke will also fit well with their traditional running attack.


PICK #31: Arizona Cardinals

Wow, what a year it was for the Cardinals. Looking at them, after the past few year's drafts have allowed them load up on athletes, I actually look for them to go with best available. Well, best available on Defense anyway :)

Brian Cushing is still out there, and he is a great value at this location. He is a guy who is used to winning and made a lot of plays at USC. He will be a great addition at linebacker whether Dansby stays or not.




PICK #30: Houston Texans

The Texans got their Defensive End earlier in the draft with Brian Orakpo, so I look for them to go for a value pick. They like slaton, but he is a small back and there are concerns about him in the red zone and down the line, so it would be wize to have a change of pace back. With Beanie Wells still on the board, I see him coming off of it here.



PICK #29: New York Giants

The Giants need depth along their fronts. Last year exposed their lack of depth at DE and LB. What they have is top shelf, but they need more depth and flexibility. At this point, Aaron Maybin and Brian Cushing are both still available. I look for them to look to Maybin as he played with his hand on the ground in college, but has the size and ability to play either position.




PICK #28: Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles took a gamble that the Offensive Tackle they are look for would still be available at this pick, and it worked out perfectly. Phil Loadholt out of Oklahoma is still available and he is a monster at 6'7" 348. He played in a pass oriented offense in college, and is a destroyer when it comes to run blocking. He should be able to play sooner rather than later, likely at right tackle.







PICK #27: Indianapolis Colts

The colts are a good team across the board, but they are showing cracks on the outside. Marvin Harrison is likely done, or nearing it on offense and they have lost players the last few years at CB. However, Gonzalez is already in place on offense, so they can wait to draft a receiver, and CB in the Cover 2 is not a priority position. I look for them to look to upgrade their defense by taking William Moore out of Missouri. Moore is an great athlete at safety who can really cover some ground and hit and should be set up well by learning from Bob Sanders.





PICK #26: Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have a handful of needs. They are likely to lose one of the their starting Linebackers this year, have an aging defense overall, and are in dire need of a wide receiver who can be a difference maker. There are lot of good defensive players on the board, and they may go that way. But I look for them to go for the receiving threat that can take advantage of Flacco's huge arm to stretch the field and get those safeties out of the box. Darius Heyward-Bay is possible the fastest receiver in this draft, that is saying a lot. He also brings good size, and at times looked unstoppable in spite of never playing with a top flight Quarterback.






PICK #25: Miami Dolphins

OK, OK, OK, so the falcons weren't the only surprise. The dolphins came out of nowhere too, but what do they need to get over that hump? Well, they could upgrade at a number of positions, but this is a Parcells team right, so I am going to look at his history and say that they are going to take the best edge player available. Tyson Jackson is still on the board, and should be the perfect body type to become an DE in the 3-4 defense. He is also a good value at this pick as he was rated a few picks higher on most boards







PICK #24: Atlanta Falcon

The Falcons were the surprise/cinderella of the NFL up till the playoffs. They are loaded at the skill positions and are strong overall on Defense. I look them to improve their Offensive Line or Defensive Secondary. The best player available at either of those positions is at corner, and I look for them to take D.J. Moore. Expect his to start sooner, rather than later.





PICK #23: New England Patriots

The Patriots have been hit hard recently be retirement and free agency on the defensive side of the ball. They have managed to draft to repair some of that, but are still in need of a lockdown corner. The patriots like an intelligent player, and I look for them to take either Alphonso Smith from Wake Forest or D.J. Moore from Vanderbilt. We will go with Smith here, as he is more experienced and has been more consistent. He should be ready to make an impact immediately.






PICK #22: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are a team on the verge. They are loaded on both sides of the ball with 2 exceptions. Tavaris Jackson is not working out like they had hoped at QB yet. There is still hope, but sooner rather than later would be good. Second, they do not have a stud WR to keep defenses honest.

Unfortunately, the top rated players at those positions are gone. I look for Minnesota to make a value pick here, and take the best receiving Tight End in the Draft, Chase Coffman. Coffman is one of the best tight ends, statistically, in the history of the NCAA and will be a difference maker at the NFL level. With his size and hands, he could be a real security blanket for a young quarterback.





PICK #21: Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are an enigma, especially on draft day. They tend to pick up players that make you scratch your head a bit. Rarely fails however, a year or two later, that player is in the starting lineup and turned out to be a good, if not perfect, fit for what they do.

So, what do the boys from the land of cheesesteak need this year. Well, they have 2 aging, possibly departing, Offensive Tackles in a draft loaded with Offensive tackles, so that is a good place to start. Beyond that, they need an effective backup for Westbrook, and a receiver who could be a red zone threat would be great since it looks like they may be just about done with Reggie Brown
.

At this point in the draft, the top rated tackles are gone, and it is likely that they will be able to get a quality tackle with their next pick, so if I am making the pick for the eagles, I am looking for Westbrooks backup. Lesean McCoy is like a mini-westbrook, well except he is isn't smaller than Westbrook. He will be a perfect fit for the eagles offense.

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