Friday, April 9, 2010

Wild Bill's 2010 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 5 & 6

Welcome back my Gridiron Grinders!! I am going through picks 5 and 6 in my Mock Draft so let's get to it!

With Washington's pick of Russell Okung at the number 4 spot, I expect a run on Offensive Tackles. We all know that the cutesy-wootsy wittle QB's get all the attention, but deep down anybody that KNOWS football realizes that Offensive Lineman are the key to it all. With that being said I expect Scott Pioli (Chiefs' GM) to continue building his football team from the inside - out. This means that offensive and defensive lineman have a higher priority than skill positions.
5.) Kansas City Chiefs - Trent Williams, OT Oklahoma

Trent Williams is an extremely versatile player. He's played the tackle spots, the guard spots, and he even played some center during his career under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. Trent Williams may or may not step in at Left Tackle day 1, but he gives Kansas City plenty of versatility to start somewhere on that young line at the start of training camp. Eric Berry of Tennessee will be very tempting, but with the emergence of Jamaal Charles last year as a rising superstar Pioli wants to protect his best offensive weapon. KC hopes to forge their identity in the trenches because they don't want people asking, "Who are the Chefs?"

Now on to Seattle's pick at #6. Surfer-Boy Pete's first pick as the new head coach of the Seahawks isn't a high-profile one, but it is the right one. Coach Carroll knows that an offensive running game is the bread and butter of his offenses; thank you LenWhale and Mr. Kardashian.....

6.) Seattle Seahawks - Brian Bulaga, OT Iowa

Bulaga is a midwestern, blue-collar mauler. He will be able to take over when Walter Jones (certain first round HOF'er) retires - which may be sooner than later. Bulaga steps in and protects either Hasselbeck's or Whitehurst's backside for the next 12-14 years. There are knocks on his short arms, but I'm not buying it. He did have some issues with Brandon Graham this past season, but Bulaga's total body of work would indicate that that was the exception and not the rule.

I'll see you back here tomorrow for my CLEVELAND BROWNS PICK!!!!!!

"You boys like Mex-i-co? Yee- Haww!"

Wild Bill's 2010 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 3 & 4

Welcome back for picks 3 and 4 of my 2010 NFL Mock Draft.

3.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Gerald McCoy, DL Oklahoma
Tampa Bay is sitting pretty at the 3-hole because they're going to have some options if teams want to trade up and possibly grab Eric Berry, Jimmy Clausen, or Russell Okung. If TB keeps the pick, I believe they take the knifing Dlineman Gerald McCoy. McCoy and Suh both are problematic for offensive lineman, and I'd have to give McCoy the slight, slight edge in pass-rushing situations. TB gets a solid defensive lineman for the next decade that could help recapture their former defensive edge.

Up next the Washington Redskins.

Washington just shocked the world this past Sunday with the announcement that they just traded for Donovan McNabb. Several suitors had been listed for Donovan's services, but the Redskins flew under the radar and managed to give Philadelphia quite a deal.
Shanahan gets his veteran QB with McNabb and with his first draft pick as the new head coach, he'll take the highest rated Olineman in the draft...

4.) Washington Redskins - Russell Okung, OL Oklahoma State

Russell Okung has been described as having a nasty streak which translates well onto the field, even though it does cause him to over-extend at times. With the additions of McNabb and Okung to their anemic offense, Washington becomes a black horse candidate for an NFC wild card position.

Join me again tomorrow as we go in the war room with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks for picks 5 & 6!

"Lanolin...Lanolin, like sheep's wool?"

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Draft Preview

Welcome all! This is my first foray into the Blogosphere, so I appreciate your time!

First of all, I would like to thank Rob Harley for inviting me to be a contributing member on his blog. We cover quite a bit of football and it's nice to be able to speak to someone that has a pretty good idea of what's going on during the orchestrated chaos known as Football. So thank you again Rob!!

In the coming days and weeks, I will be analyzing the NFL draft needs for all 32 teams. I will offer opinions and insight, along with my dream scenario for my beloved Cleveland Browns. I will cover my current mock draft with 2 picks a day over the course of the next 16 days, and then I'll post a mock draft the day before the 1st day of the NFL draft on Thursday, April 22nd. (Gotta take into account the happenings between now and then!)



I'm sure everyone has seen mock drafts out there, some detailed and with sound logic, and some that look like the author just drew names out of a hat. I will offer my own mock draft on here with my reasoning and I look forward to feedback.



The draft process is a very fluid and dynamic adventure. Teams are working on their draft boards year round, with scouts visiting campuses across the nation throughout the year. Once the season is over, the 'Draft Season' kicks into overdrive with the Combine and individual Pro Days garnering the largest audiences.

Prospects can slide up and down a teams' chart very easily, sometimes something as small as .2 seconds on a 40-yard dash can mean the difference of a top-10 pick and a 2nd rounder.

Now that Free Agency has come and (mostly) gone, the Combine is over, and a decent amount of the Pro Days have been completed, it's time to really look at the 1st round. I do want to note that the recent trade of Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Washington Redskins has the potential to completely shake up the top 1/2 of the draft.

With that being said, here are my picks:

1.) St. Louis Rams - Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma.

The writing is on the wall with this pick now that the Rams have jettisoned Marc Bulger. The Rams have passed on Matty Ice and the San-chise in recent years, deciding to go with D-line and O-line help. 3rd Time's the charm for St.Louis as they look to put a face on the franchise. Sam Bradford was hit twice last season - both times causing him to miss time; the 2nd time knocking him out for the season. Despite injury concerns, I believe St.Louis takes the gunslinger and decides to drop the astronomical sum of cash that the number 1 pick will demand on a QB as opposed to another D-lineman like Suh or McCoy.

2.) Detroit Lions - Ndamukong Suh, DL Nebraska.

The Lions would LOVE to trade out of this pick if they could, but I don't think it's going to happen. They had to pay Matthew Stafford quite a pretty penny last year as the number 1 pick and they would love to trade down for economic reasons. Ndamukong Suh has been praised as the best DL prospect since Warren Sapp. Under Coach Schwartz's tutelage, Suh will instantly make every level of the Lions' defense better. He is practically unblockable at times. He causes havoc against the run, and teams will be hard-pressed to have a offensive lineman that can handle him one-on-one in passing situations.

I'll be back tomorrow with picks 3 and 4.

"You're not, you're not good, Al. You stink."