Full Version: 2009 Winners and Losers
Who had the best draft? And who had the worst? Discuss it all right here.
The Bears didn't have the best overall draft, but they did have a very productive draft without having a day one pick.
My big winners are the Cinncinatti Bengals and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
The Bengals got Andre Smith, Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson.
Darrius Heyward-Bey at no fault to himself got a lot more money that he probably thought he was going to get.
My big winners are the Cinncinatti Bengals and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
The Bengals got Andre Smith, Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson.
Darrius Heyward-Bey at no fault to himself got a lot more money that he probably thought he was going to get.
As usual, the judging of the 2009 NFL Draft will begin immediately even though we may not see the best or worst of this rookie crop for 3 years or so. However, since everyone (including me) has an opinion I figured I'd share mine with you guys.
Among the biggest winners on draft day are surely the Cincinnati Bengals. They picked up talented kid after talented kid and got a couple of absolute steals. Andre Smith, Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson all had 1st round grades from many experts and yet the Bengals got 2 of them in the 2nd and 3rd round respectively. Throw in an NFL-ready center in Jonathan Luigs in the 4th and Chase Coffman too and you just yourself 5 potential week one starters. I'm not saying they'll all do it, but if these kids produce like many expect them to, the Bengals just got one hell of a lot better.
The Denver Broncos also have to be counted among those who swung for the fences this past weekend. Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers were among the top players in the SEC in 2008 and appear to be NFL-ready. Alphonso Smith and Darcel McBath in the 2nd round represent both good value as well as hard-hitting, pure football players. In the later rounds they also picked up David Bruton, Tom Brandstater and Kenny McKinley, all of whom were very good value. Sure they had a couple of questionable decisions, Richard Quinn in the 2nd being the biggest, but this is still a solid showing from Denver. This draft though will almost undoubtedly be judged on how they perform without Jay Cutler.
A draft which will probably go under the radar is that of the Houston Texans, but let me tell you why I think its going to rank as one of the best. They stayed put and drafted Brian Cushing, Connor Barwin, Antoine Caldwell and James Casey -- 4 fantastic value picks who will all be contributors sooner rather than later in my estimation.
As we've all come to expect, the New York Giants had another very good draft. Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden are 2 very different types of receiver and both will present a threat to opposing defenses. William Beatty was good value at the bottom of the 2nd and Clint Sintim and Travis Beckum were both players who fell in the right sort of area, have undoubted talent and could contribute to this franchise.
As far as losers go, the Oakland Raiders kind of make it easy for me to know where to start. With so many players on the board at positions of need they go and draft a speedy receiver who may otherwise have fallen into the 2nd round. Then, in the 2nd they go and draft Michael Mitchell, a consensus undrafted free agent! Some of their later picks at least represented good value, and Stryker Sulak reminds me a lot of Kroy Biermann for the record, but they can't make up for wasting 2 top picks.
Somewhat surprisingly the Dallas Cowboys let themselves down a bit on draft day. Sure, they didn't have a 1st rounder, but then trading out of the 2nd and then picking what appear to be a bunch of bit-part players at best on the second day seems to be a bit of a waste of what could be a very talented roster.
The Kansas City Chiefs were another draft day loser, mainly because they failed to find a trading partner for the #3 spot and ended up taking Tyson Jackson way way too high. Sure he's a good scheme fit and the right type of player for what they want to do, but he's not a #3 overall pick. Some of their later selections also left me scratching my head, though drafting Ryan Succop with the Mr Irrelevant pick may actually be their best move!
Finally, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers deserve a mention in my opinion for their seeming disregard for the needs on that team. They purged several established vets in the offseason and needed help in many areas and yet traded up in the first for an unproven project of a quarterback. This was despite having 2 capable QBs on the roster -- sure neither may be a true franchise guy but the Bucs could have looked at that next year and fixed some other holes now. Besides, of the QBs in this draft Freeman probably has the greatest propensity to bust. Their later round picks also weren't exactly great and I just wonder whether they might be a contender for the 1st overall pick next year?
Among the biggest winners on draft day are surely the Cincinnati Bengals. They picked up talented kid after talented kid and got a couple of absolute steals. Andre Smith, Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson all had 1st round grades from many experts and yet the Bengals got 2 of them in the 2nd and 3rd round respectively. Throw in an NFL-ready center in Jonathan Luigs in the 4th and Chase Coffman too and you just yourself 5 potential week one starters. I'm not saying they'll all do it, but if these kids produce like many expect them to, the Bengals just got one hell of a lot better.
The Denver Broncos also have to be counted among those who swung for the fences this past weekend. Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers were among the top players in the SEC in 2008 and appear to be NFL-ready. Alphonso Smith and Darcel McBath in the 2nd round represent both good value as well as hard-hitting, pure football players. In the later rounds they also picked up David Bruton, Tom Brandstater and Kenny McKinley, all of whom were very good value. Sure they had a couple of questionable decisions, Richard Quinn in the 2nd being the biggest, but this is still a solid showing from Denver. This draft though will almost undoubtedly be judged on how they perform without Jay Cutler.
A draft which will probably go under the radar is that of the Houston Texans, but let me tell you why I think its going to rank as one of the best. They stayed put and drafted Brian Cushing, Connor Barwin, Antoine Caldwell and James Casey -- 4 fantastic value picks who will all be contributors sooner rather than later in my estimation.
As we've all come to expect, the New York Giants had another very good draft. Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden are 2 very different types of receiver and both will present a threat to opposing defenses. William Beatty was good value at the bottom of the 2nd and Clint Sintim and Travis Beckum were both players who fell in the right sort of area, have undoubted talent and could contribute to this franchise.
As far as losers go, the Oakland Raiders kind of make it easy for me to know where to start. With so many players on the board at positions of need they go and draft a speedy receiver who may otherwise have fallen into the 2nd round. Then, in the 2nd they go and draft Michael Mitchell, a consensus undrafted free agent! Some of their later picks at least represented good value, and Stryker Sulak reminds me a lot of Kroy Biermann for the record, but they can't make up for wasting 2 top picks.
Somewhat surprisingly the Dallas Cowboys let themselves down a bit on draft day. Sure, they didn't have a 1st rounder, but then trading out of the 2nd and then picking what appear to be a bunch of bit-part players at best on the second day seems to be a bit of a waste of what could be a very talented roster.
The Kansas City Chiefs were another draft day loser, mainly because they failed to find a trading partner for the #3 spot and ended up taking Tyson Jackson way way too high. Sure he's a good scheme fit and the right type of player for what they want to do, but he's not a #3 overall pick. Some of their later selections also left me scratching my head, though drafting Ryan Succop with the Mr Irrelevant pick may actually be their best move!
Finally, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers deserve a mention in my opinion for their seeming disregard for the needs on that team. They purged several established vets in the offseason and needed help in many areas and yet traded up in the first for an unproven project of a quarterback. This was despite having 2 capable QBs on the roster -- sure neither may be a true franchise guy but the Bucs could have looked at that next year and fixed some other holes now. Besides, of the QBs in this draft Freeman probably has the greatest propensity to bust. Their later round picks also weren't exactly great and I just wonder whether they might be a contender for the 1st overall pick next year?
i wasn't very pleased with the bucs draft, either. i didn't understand trading up to 17 when freeman would have been there at 19. hell, i didn't understand the freeman pick, period, after picking up leftwich this offseason. while leftwich wouldn't be the franchise, i thought his addition would at least have given us buc fans hope that they would have addressed other needs in the draft.
i'm also surprised at how many people liked the lions draft. i was not impressed by it at all. you could have really addressed your lines with solid picks, yet went for the flashy picks over what was needed, in my opinion. having a QB with weapons doesn't mean anything if you're not on your feet long enough to do anything with the ball. i just didn't understand it.
i'm also surprised at how many people liked the lions draft. i was not impressed by it at all. you could have really addressed your lines with solid picks, yet went for the flashy picks over what was needed, in my opinion. having a QB with weapons doesn't mean anything if you're not on your feet long enough to do anything with the ball. i just didn't understand it.
Winners = Patriots
Losers = Raiders Raiders Raiders
Losers = Raiders Raiders Raiders
The patriots seem to do everything right on every draft day! The thing is tho, they got two additional 2nd round picks for next season, but they will turn that into additional picks later in the draft. When are they going to settle with what they got and pick some prospects for once, probally when they start losing.
My rams,,,,had a surprisingly good draft,,,Jason Smith will anchor the oline which is quickly becoming a strengh for the Rams. Laurinaitis will lead the defense next year. Fletcher is a good young corner that could develope into something good in a year or two. Dorell Scott was a steel in the 4th, he will have a big impact against the run and will switch in and out with Clifton Ryan at Nt. the rest of the picks are all developmental prospects at skill postions. Im excited to see Null develope in our West Coast system.
Losers: Raiders. Nuff said....OATMEAL!!(My new favorite draft phraise for a Al Davis reach)
My rams,,,,had a surprisingly good draft,,,Jason Smith will anchor the oline which is quickly becoming a strengh for the Rams. Laurinaitis will lead the defense next year. Fletcher is a good young corner that could develope into something good in a year or two. Dorell Scott was a steel in the 4th, he will have a big impact against the run and will switch in and out with Clifton Ryan at Nt. the rest of the picks are all developmental prospects at skill postions. Im excited to see Null develope in our West Coast system.
Losers: Raiders. Nuff said....OATMEAL!!(My new favorite draft phraise for a Al Davis reach)
Winners:
Nobody had a better Saturday than the Bengals. I'm not a Maualuga guy but he is worth the shot at #38. Andre Smith was the best tackle in this draft. They did not follow up with a good Sunday though.
I like what the Rams did--addressed their two biggest needs with NFL-ready top-shelf talent, then added some pieces that fit with what they wanted.
Giants and Steelers both had great drafts, finding guys who fit their needs and not reaching.
Losers:
Kansas City. After the Jackson pick, which I actually like, the rest of their draft was brutal. Pioli once again has a great 1st round and stinks up the rest of the draft, just as he did in NE the last few years.
Miami sure drafted a lot of guys who carry the "underachiever" label
New England got two real good players in Brace and Butler. They took Chung 2 rounds early, and nobody else they took will be anywhere but a practice squad next season. People rip on the Raiders for taking Mike Mitchell in the 2nd, but at least he can run and hit--Chung can't run, and their instincts are about equal. It's like the Patriots are saying, "We don't need to draft well, we'll just sign every worthy free agent over age 32 and beat you with them while you develop the young talent." It works for them, but it's a risky existence.
I'm a little disappointed in my Lions. Stafford wouldn't have been my choice but I get the pick. Pettigrew will be great help in the run blocking and covering Backus but I would have taken Jerry or Laurinaitis. Delmas is a great fit. Love the Jets trade--getting an extra pick for an already-old RB with no wiggle. Like the Hill pick, worth the upside risk and he can learn from Grady Jackson. I hate the Derrick Williams pick, don't like the Levy pick unless he can play Mike (he can't). Optimistic about Zach Follett but I'm afraid he fell for valid reasons. Most 6th-7th rounders who were projected in the 3rd-4th fall for valid reasons.
The full breakdown:
http://www.realgmfootball.com/src_wiretap_...l_need_to_read/
and no, I did not title that myself...
Nobody had a better Saturday than the Bengals. I'm not a Maualuga guy but he is worth the shot at #38. Andre Smith was the best tackle in this draft. They did not follow up with a good Sunday though.
I like what the Rams did--addressed their two biggest needs with NFL-ready top-shelf talent, then added some pieces that fit with what they wanted.
Giants and Steelers both had great drafts, finding guys who fit their needs and not reaching.
Losers:
Kansas City. After the Jackson pick, which I actually like, the rest of their draft was brutal. Pioli once again has a great 1st round and stinks up the rest of the draft, just as he did in NE the last few years.
Miami sure drafted a lot of guys who carry the "underachiever" label
New England got two real good players in Brace and Butler. They took Chung 2 rounds early, and nobody else they took will be anywhere but a practice squad next season. People rip on the Raiders for taking Mike Mitchell in the 2nd, but at least he can run and hit--Chung can't run, and their instincts are about equal. It's like the Patriots are saying, "We don't need to draft well, we'll just sign every worthy free agent over age 32 and beat you with them while you develop the young talent." It works for them, but it's a risky existence.
I'm a little disappointed in my Lions. Stafford wouldn't have been my choice but I get the pick. Pettigrew will be great help in the run blocking and covering Backus but I would have taken Jerry or Laurinaitis. Delmas is a great fit. Love the Jets trade--getting an extra pick for an already-old RB with no wiggle. Like the Hill pick, worth the upside risk and he can learn from Grady Jackson. I hate the Derrick Williams pick, don't like the Levy pick unless he can play Mike (he can't). Optimistic about Zach Follett but I'm afraid he fell for valid reasons. Most 6th-7th rounders who were projected in the 3rd-4th fall for valid reasons.
The full breakdown:
http://www.realgmfootball.com/src_wiretap_...l_need_to_read/
and no, I did not title that myself...
C'mon ytse... you only bring up Mike Mitchell because he's a former Bobcat. 
Thanks for stopping by and offering your thoughts.
Thanks for stopping by and offering your thoughts.
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