Draft Thoughts

Loser Jet Fans – Death, taxes, and drunken Jet fans sobbing on National TV. This year, ESPN cameras were able to catch two Jet fans looking so outraged by the Mark Sanchez selection, one of them was almost in tears. Presumably they were amped for the Kellen Clemens era in New York. That's right people, you know you're watching the NFL Draft when you see a shot of two guys who came straight from the jersey shore (you'll know by the wife beaters under their Namath jersey and rings on their forehead from crushing beer cans); one will be immediately outraged by the pick, the other will await the first guy's reaction.

Darrius Heyward-Bey – His reaction to hearing his name called was indescribable. His family was going crazy around him while he just stared out in shock. Heyward-Bey was the 3^rd or 4^th best wide receiver on Kiper and McShay’s boards but the Oakland Raiders selected him at pick 7, 3 picks before Michael Crabtree who was considered the best receiver in the draft and a possible top 5 pick. According to ESPN, Heyward-Bey’s weaknesses are “pass catching” and “route running”. Thankfully for him, one of those will be eliminated since JaMarcus Russell’s biggest weaknesses are “pass throwing” and “decision making”. I can’t imagine there is a worse feeling than being drafted, then hearing analysts say you have “bust written all over you” for the next 15 minutes.

Michael Crabtree – The only thing worse than being drafted by the Raiders is having the Raiders pass you up for an inferior player at your position. Crabtree’s face was somewhere in between being relieved and being slapped full on in the face. Luckily for Oakland fans, they won’t have to drive far to see the guy they should have picked tearing it up in San Francisco. Crabtree’s suit looked like it came straight out of Craig Sager’s collection.

Aaron Curry – Great pickup for Seattle. Curry looked genuinely happy to have been selected by an NFL team and was the only guy other than Michael Oher to weep after being selected. It's refreshing to see this kind of appreciation from high draft picks.

Beanie Wells – Great pickup for the Cardinals and great situation for Beanie. He dropped a little further than a lot of people had him but he goes to a team that was a few minutes from winning a title, that also doesn’t have a real playmaker at running back.

Percy Harvin – Text I got from a friend (who is a Vikings fan) following this pick: “the Vikings love stoners.” Thankfully for them, that’s not all he is. Harvin gives them another playmaker and should take much of the offensive burden away from Adrian Peterson. His arrival should also serve to open things up a little more for Bernard Berrian down the field. Listen, when you have Sage Rosenfels, you gotta let him sling the ball around.

Knowshon Moreno - Moreno was a widely criticized pick, not for reasons relating to talent or value, but because of need. Denver’s inability to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone last year led many people to believe that they would use their 2 first round picks as well as most of their other picks on defense. The worst thing that could have happened in my mind is that they would use both picks to trade up for an offensive player. In Moreno, the Broncos get a very strong, versatile back in the mold of Marshawn Lynch. It should be noted that Moreno only played 2 years of college ball which means he took a minimal number of hits and he will be surrounded by other runners and won’t be expected to carry the ball 40 times a game. This bodes well for his longevity. Here’s the analysis from NFL.com:

Positives: Tight-skinned athlete with good overall musculature. Good quickness to the hole. Reads the defense and anticipates where the hole, including cutback lanes, will appear. Exceptional lateral quickness and elusiveness in tight quarters. Very rarely tackled by the first defender. Good acceleration past the initial wave of defense and into the secondary. Good spin and stiff arm, and has phenomenal leaping ability to jump over tacklers. Attacks the line of scrimmage and is a tougher interior runner than given credit for. Can drop his shoulders and has good leg drive. Runs through a lot of tackles due to his competitive drive and toughness. Keeps his legs churning and will spin away from tackles. Soft hands for the reception. Natural receiver who poses intriguing possibilities to be split out wide. Good quickness and effort as a route-runner; isn't just a threat on dump-offs in the flat or screens. Provides a pop in pass protection. Extreme competitor who can put the team on his shoulders. Wants the ball with the game on the line.

Negatives: Questionable top-end speed. Lacks the prototype size and bulk some teams are looking for in a bell-cow runner.

I was not necessarily happy when this choice came down but I also was not completely upset as Moreno is a game changing running back who despite being only a sophomore last year, was on a lot of preseason Heisman lists. I am one of the people who didn’t think the Broncos needed a running back, after all they still have Peyton Hillis and Ryan Torain leftover from last year and they signed free agents Correll Buckhalter, Lamont Jordan, and J.J. Arrington. I think this was a case of McDaniels wanting to grab the highest guy on his board. I think he probably wanted to use at least one of his picks on a D lineman but the guy he targeted (possibly 9^th pick B.J. Raji or 11^th pick Aaron Maybin) was taken. Perhaps he knew that one of either Brian Orakpo (who I hoped they would take at 12) or Robert Ayers would be available at 18 so he took the chance to draft a franchise caliber running back. While Peyton Hillis played well last year, don’t kid yourself into thinking he is a franchise guy. McDaniels has an excellent stable of running backs and he has a perfect player for every conceivable situation, much like what he had in New England. It cannot be overstated how important it is to consistently be able to throw fresh running backs at a tiring defense. Not to put a positive spin on things but the Kyle Orton played reasonably well last year behind a poor line, worse receivers, and a very good, pass catching, rookie running back. With the addition of Moreno, the Broncos now have a good line, better receivers, and a very good, pass catching rookie running back.

It should be noted that Moreno has already garnered some good will in Denver; he personally contacted Darrent Williams' mother to ask if he can sport the late CBs old number (27) as his college number (24) is property of one Champ Bailey. Darrent's mother agreed on the condition that Moreno spend some time each month at the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center. Way to show some character.

Denver's Draft - The Broncos addressed some defensive needs by using the 18th pick on a DE/LB hybrid, Robert Ayers as well as grabbing 2 DBs in the 2nd round and a third DB in the 4th round. Ayers is a good pickup as the Broncos will be running a 3-4 defense this year. They can slot him in at outside linebacker or play him on the line. Alphonso Smith and Darcel McBath (the two 2nd round picks) are both ball hawking corners who should help improve Denver's poor turnover differential. Besides Moreno, Alphonso Smith is the Broncos draft pick I'm most excited about. Also worth noting is WR Kenny McKinley and QB Tom Brandstater. McKinley is a polished route runner who could pay dividends in the future and Brandstater might be the steal of the draft, as a tall, athletic QB that Josh McDaniels can possibly groom into a franchise player.

-PSon