Every Swingin’ Dick

Final Round. It is quite possible that I won’t know a soul chosen in this round. Here we go…

- Hey! A couple of guys I know have come off the board. G Fred Matua goes to the Lions. Some people had him rated higher than Deuce Latui, so obviously has the ability to make this a good choice.
- WR Todd Watkins from BYU goes to Arizona. Good speed, good size, but not a natural pass catcher. Flashes of greatness in college but inconsistent.
- Rams take ILB Tim McGarigle from Northwestern. Tackles everything that moves. 545 career tackles–a Division 1-A record. Will probably be a backup and could be a special teams standout.
- Falcons select QB D.J. Shockley from Georgia. Very talented player, and I liked the way he was willing to wait his turn to play without causing a disruption. I’m not sure if he will be able to polish his skills enough to play, but is certainly worth a 7th round pick to get him into camp and find out. Should be able to do some of the same things as Vick, so if he were able to become a #2 QB the Falcons wouldn’t have to change the playbook much.
- Dolphins select DT Rodrique Wright from Texas. Underachiever with loads of physical skills. Nick Saban won’t stand for a loafer and will kick him in the butt or kick him off the team. Maybe Saban has a goal of making a guy named Wright cry during camp every year.
- Dolphins FINALLY get one of the Auburn WR’s off the board by selecting Devin Aromashodu. He has size as well as the speed to be a deep threat. Give him the coaching to refine his route running and I think he can be a good one.
- Carolina takes one of those college “name” player in Auburn DE Stanley McClover. John Fox is a defensive guy and hopefully will get the most out of McClover. Smaller player but could be a pass rushing end in the NFL.
- This has been the best group of current players that ESPN has had in their draft coverage ever. First of all, they aren’t trying to get them to analyze the picks. They are talking about league issues and also some of the things that teams and players will have to deal with as the new draftees come in. Sean Salisbury has been there with William Henderson, Trent Green, Shawn Merriman and Tory Holt. All of them have been fairly outspoken and candid for current players. Tory Holt was on the main podium at last years draft and acquitted himself fairly well. This year he has been even better. I hope that he considers a broadcasting career after he plays, because he is really good.
- Steelers get their big back in the final round, Cedric Humes. Big guy with power. If he is going to stick in the NFL, the Steelers are a good landing spot for him.
- St. Louis takes G Mark Setterstrom from Minnesota. The Gophers ran the ball like crazy over the last few years, so those OL must have been doing something right. I’m guessing he will stick with the team and may eventually become a #3 guard or even a starter at some point in his career.
- Bucs take TE Tim Massaquoi from Michigan. Gruden loves the TE position, and Massaquoi will get a chance to play. He played pretty well at Michigan, especially considering he was dealing with a terrible, terrible QB in Chad Henne.
- The Seahawks take the other Auburn WR who’s name I always have to look up to spell, Ben Obomanu. Raw, but talented.
- And Mr. Irrelevant is…some guy I’ve never heard of. WR Kevin McMahan from Maine.

Sorry Marcus Vick. Enjoy your season in the AFL, assuming any of those teams want you.

- Texans take RB Wali Lundy from Virginia. One of the few big backs in the draft. Played pretty well in college, but could be one of those guys that doesn’t do much in college that excels in the NFL. Or not.
- Saints take WR Mike Hass from Oregon State. Not real quick, not real fast, but catches everything.
- Cardinals take another DL in Jonathan Lewis. I like the strategy of filling a position by attrition. Look, not every pick is going to pan out. If you have an obvious weakness at a position, why not draft the crap out of it? Chances are someone you select is going to end up being a contributer. You just can’t count on the selection of one guy to fix a problem area, because between injury and underperformance sometimes it just isn’t going to work.
- Browns take the consensus top-rated FB in Lawrence Vickers. Gets to watch Terrell Smith block the crap out of guys for another year or two and hopefully develop into his replacement.
- Cowboys take a DT Montavious Stanley from Louisville. Projects very well as a 3-4 clogger, someone who can hold the point and let his teammates make tackles.
- Bengals take my guy, QB Reggie McNeal. They might give him a chance at QB, though I really believe he could be a quality WR if he embraced the change.
- Bucs take a QB I liked, Bruce Gradkowski from Toledo. Doesn’t have ideal size at 6-1, but is a very competitive guy who played well. Doesn’t have the measurables like the top guys, but he looks like a QB to me. Passes the eyeball test on the field.
- I’m stunned that neither one of the Auburn WR’s have been drafted yet. I liked them both quite a bit.
- Broncos take C Greg Eslinger from Minnesota. He was an all-world C in college, but is light at 291lbs. Quick and athletic he is a perfect guy for the Broncos. The same things were said about Ben Hamilton (another Minnesota C) when he came out and he has been an excellent player in Denver.

Now we are starting to get into the guys who aren’t name players. There will be a few QB’s and HB and such that will be known, but for the most part the rest of the day is a bunch of guys that teams hope their scouts are right about. I’m guessing this is the round I in which I get to make the ultra obvious comparison between Jeremy Bloom and Tim Dwight.

- Buffalo opens the round with DT Kyle Williams from LSU. Not a real athletic guy, but always around the ball and plays like a man possessed.
- Dallas gets a FS. Pat Watkins is TALL, 6-5, and fast. Good player when moving forward, but doesn’t cover very well.
- Lions take OT Jonathan Scott, a huge guy from a big program at Texas. Will have to learn how to play in a tighter system coming from that spread offense in Texas. There is a lineage of underachieving tackles from Texas, Mike Williams, Leonard Davis, etc. I’m glad to see that he wasn’t drafted earlier.
- Browns select RB Jerome Harrison from Washington State. Lots of scouts like this guy a lot. I didn’t get to see him play at all so I don’t have an opinion on him. Someone to throw in the mix behind Ruben Droughns.
- Eagles take a chance on Jeremy Bloom. As I alluded to in the open, he will inevitably be compared to Tim Dwight because he is going to primarily be a KR, he’s fast, short and white. Didn’t play much college ball because the stupid NCAA wouldn’t let him play while he pursued a career as a moguls skier because they take money from sponsors. Asses.
- Packers select QB Ingle Martin from Furman by way of Florida. Depth to replace the departed Craig Nall.
- Vikings take S Greg Blue from Georgia. Good player in college, but scouts are concerned that he doesn’t play under control or tackle well. That stuff can be fixed. I’m surprised he didn’t go sooner.
- Bengals take MLB A. J. Nicholson. Didn’t test very fast, but should be able to play as a special teamer and as LB depth. Good tackler. Much more stout than Odel Thurman, might be able to help that run defense. Some off the field issues with a DUI and some other things.
- Bears add to their defense with DE Mark Anderson. Really played well at Alabama, I’m surprised that he lasted this long. A little light at 258lbs, but he can add pounds in the weight room. A great choice in round 5. Even if he doesn’t live up to his college numbers he can still help out just by being a part of the rotation.
- Steelers choose QB Omar Jacobs. Big time player at Bowling Green. Good choice later in the draft. QB is such a crapshoot in the NFL that I love the idea of picking them up later in the draft. Get them into camp, let them learn the system and figure out if they can play without having the expectations of being a high draft choice.
- Tennessee finished round 5 by selecting DT Jesse Mahelona from, well, Tennessee. Productive player that has had injury problems. Had a great 2004 season but like the rest of the Volunteers didn’t play as well this season. Led the SEC in tackles for loss in 2004.

We are off and running on day 2. ESPN resets their personnel with Suzy Kolber as the anchor and Mike Golic replaces both Tom Jackson and Michael Irvin. Chris Mortensen and Mel Kiper Jr. are the holdovers from Saturday. I can’t begin to tell you the sense of relief I feet when I saw Michael Irvin missing from the desk. What a glorious jackass!

-I’m already tired of hearing how much money Leinart has lost by staying in college for an extra year. Look guys, there is no guarantee that he would have been the overall #1 last year even though you are so dead set in your knowledge that he would have been.
- Kiper’s #1 rated G, Max Jean-Gilles from Georgia, goes to the Eagles. 6-4, 350lbs. Pair him with Shawn Andrews (6-4, 340lbs) and they have a HUGE interior. I still don’t like him that much, I just don’t think he can play low enough to be successful.
- Niners take QB Michael Robinson, but send the card up to the podium with him listed as a WR. They have done this pretty successfully with Arnez Battle and some others, they think they can do it again. He didn’t look like a WR at the Senior Bowl, but if he embraces the move and works on it he certainly can handle the position athletically. ESPN is now listing him as a RB, which might be a better position for him. He has natural running ability, so why not take the catching equation out of the position move?
- Oakland takes S Darnell Bing. Big time athlete who disappears in games. The Raiders don’t have a history of getting the most of these type of players, but they keep on drafting them.
- Jets take QB Brad Smith from Missouri, and announce him as a WR. I like Reggie McNeal a lot more than I do Smith and would have preferred him as a WR project. Smith was talked about as a potential Heisman candidate early in career, so he certainly has size and running ability. He needs to abandon all hope of playing QB and work his butt off to learn a new position.
- Buffalo takes another safety in Ko Simpson. He had a pretty high grade (I’ve seen as high as round 2) so the Bills have to be happy to get him here.
- Patriots take another TE, Garrett Mills. (Are teams going to start carrying 6 TE’s or something?) He was a big part of the Tulsa offense, a good looking player who is really undersized to play TE, may have to play FB or H-back.
- Cardinals get DT Gabe Watson off the board. In my mock, I guessed that someone would take him in round 1, so he obviously represents outstanding value at this point.
- WR Jason Avant (finally, some Michigan guys go!) to the Eagles. Good hands, possession type guy. I think this is the guy the Eagles hoped they were getting with Billy McMullen a couple of years ago.
- Packers pick up WR Wil Blackmon, a guy that played both WR and CB in college. Good returner and will probably compete for that job while he gets coached up.
- Jets draft RB Leon Washington from FSU. Smaller back who plays big. Thick body and can be a factor as a receiver. I like him in round 4, now lets get him in camp and see if he can carry the load.
- Patriots draft a kicker, Stephen Gostkowski from Memphis. I’m not surprised the Pats took a K, they need some bodies to throw at the position to find Vinatieri’s replacement.
- Tampa drafts CB Alan Zemaitis. Productive college guy who has great hands (14 INT’s the last 3 years) but doesn’t have great speed. I thought he would be a good fit in a cover 2 defense where the corners don’t have to cover deep down the field. I guess now we’ll have a chance to find out if he fits that system.
- Bengals take DT Domata Peko. Always stuck out from the crowd when you watched Michigan State play. Yes, partly because of the hair billowing out from his helmet, but also because he seemed to be in the backfield or catching guys from behind. I like this kid, hopefully Marvin Lewis can get him in the weight room and playing with better technique.
- Cowboys draft WR Skyler Green. Pretty good player at LSU, seemed like he was hurt a lot. Parcells will go bananas if he tries to pull that crap in the NFL and spends lots of time in the trainer’s room.
- Broncos add DE Elvis Dumervil. Short DE who was very good at Louisville. Will probably be a pass rush specialist. Will be able to be used in that role with the Broncos who already have a pretty good DL.
- Giants take OT Guy Whimper. I know nothing about him other than the fact that he is neck and neck with Jeremy Trueblood for the best name in the draft.
- Steelers draft G Willie Colon, who I am going to assume is somehow related to my favorite all-time NFL name: Harry Colon.
- The Steelers then end round 3 with DT Orien Harris. Underachiever who doesn’t play as well as he looks like he should. Cowher is probably hoping he can light a fire under him and move him out to DE in the 3-4.

- The Texans open up round 3 with two choices to help their OL. They that a G in Charles Spencer. Then, they take an OT. A left tackle. A guy who was successful at LEFT tackle in college. I don’t think there has been a more ignored position with a team in the last five years that LT in Texas. Eric Winston, I pray that you are the answer there. A great value choice here, as Winston was projected as a sure 1st rounder earlier in his career before an injury.
- Packers get another Big-10 LB in Abdul Hodge. Undersized for the inside, but that has been said of a lot of shorter LB that have turned out pretty well. London Fletcher, Dat Nguyen, Zach Thomas, etc. Really looks like a player. Great pick in round 3 for a defense hungry team.
- Buffalo finally get Ashton Youboty off the board. This team has had great success with Ohio State CB (Nate Clements and Antonio Winfield) so why not go to the well again? Another guy with a 1st round grade goes in the 3rd round.
- Cardinals get a TE that I like in Leonard Pope. Tall guy with long arms who can be a factor in the passing game. Man, I’m starting to think if the Cardinals can get an OL together, they can be really good and score a ton of points.
- Jets take a true ILB in Anthony Schlegel to add to that position for the move to the 3-4. I’m loving the Jets draft so far.
- I really think Mortensen might punch Irvin before the night is over.
- Chargers take QB Charlie Whitehurst. They must have a good grade on him. Talented guy who was super inconsistent at Clemson. I have mixed feelings about him, but like all QB’s he could develop. Certainly he has the physical skills to be a good one.
- Dolphins take WR Derek Hagan. Lots of catches at ASU, but really fought the ball at the Senior Bowl.
- Chiefs take QB Brodie Croyle. If he can get over the injury problems, he is a nice developmental guy for them. Trent Green isn’t what you might call “young” so getting a similar player (smart, not real big) to slot into that offense is a good move.
- Patriots take another TE, Dave Thomas from Texas, to add to Ben Watson and Daniel Graham. They will probably let Graham go in free agency, so this is another one of their patented picks for the future.
- ESPN just ran a piece on Marcus Vick. When asked how he felt when he was dismissed by Va Tech he responded by saying,

Aw man, I was hurt. I was disappointed. I was waking up every morning like aw man I can’t believe this is happening. It just feels like some kind of curse like, I broke too many mirrors when I was young or something like that.

This is a guy that just doesn’t get it. He isn’t sorry for any of the off or on the field problems, and I’m not sure he even realizes that he has done anything wrong. Bad enough all the off the field stuff with the arrests and what not, lots of guys do horrible things like that. But the on the field stuff like stepping on players legs and stuff, that just makes him look like a punk. I hope he washes out of the Arena League and ends up cleaning brother Mike’s herpes sores.
- Tampa picks up WR Maurice Stovall. He really had a nice season at Notre Dame under that Charlie Weis offense. The Bucs hope that means he can play in an NFL system and will contribute.
- St. Louis gets a receiving TE in Dominique Byrd. I listed him as a player I didn’t really like, but that was when I thought he was going in the early 2nd round. As a late 3rd, I like him a lot better.
- The Jets finish up day 1 of the draft with Eric Smith, a SS from Michigan State. Like many middle round safeties, he will be a wait and see guy. I have no opinion of him, but S is a weak position for the Jets (I could say that about a lot of positions for the Jets) so depth is always good.

- Denver trades the #37 pick for Jevon Walker. IF he can get healthy and IF they can sign him to an extension, this is a great move. Especially considering that Denver is a playoff team to being with, it was better to add an experienced WR instead of breaking in a rookie.
- Packers then trade that #37 pick to the Falcons, who draft Jimmy Williams. They pair him with another Va Tech CB in DeAngelo Hall.
- Winston Justice to the Eagles at #39. 1st round talent who they hope can take over for Jon Runyan after a while.
- Thomas Howard to the Raiders. Typical Raider pick. Athlete with some questions about his football IQ. Looked pretty good at the Senior Bowl though, so maybe he can play.
- Arizona takes Duece Lutui. OL help for a team that desperately needs it.
- Giants take Sinorice Moss. Dynamic athletic ability that should immediately help their return game.
- Titans take LenDale White. Finally. I still wish he would have gone to a power running offense like Carolina or Pittsburgh, but Norm Chow should remember how to use him.
- Jets trade down, then trade back up to pick QB Kellen Clemens from Oregon. Will need to learn a pro style offense having played a spread type in college. I’m glad they passed on Croyle at least–two injury prone QB’s is quite enough thank you. As I type this, I remember that Clemens is rehabbing an ankle injury. Joy.
- Cowboys take TE Anthony Fasano from Notre Dame. I guess he’ll backup Jason Whitten. Not what I would have done at this point in the draft with an OT like Eric Winston still on the board. Plus they still desperately need a FS.
- Bengals take an OT in Andrew Whitworth who can play behind and maybe eventually replace Willie Anderson. I thought they might pick Winston Justice in round 1 to do the same thing, but they got a top CB first and then got their OT here.
- Bears take Devin Hester. I think he is a waste of a 2nd round pick, HOWEVER–the Bears really needed a spark in the kick return game. He fits a need for them, and they will have a chance to see in practice if he can develop some WR or CB skills.
- Panthers draft a CB in Richard Marshall who was projected to be a late 1st rounder at pick #58. Great value.
- Jacksonville takes Maurice Drew. This is a kid I really like. A KR / 3rd down / change of pace back that can catch out of the backfield and is quick and elusive. Reminds me of Brian Westbrook.
- Denver drafts a replacement at TE for Jed Putzier, Tony Scheffler from Western Michigan. NFL.com says “He is very similar to former 49ers/Panthers tight end Wesley Walls.” If that is true, look out.
- Seahawks snap up Darryl Tapp, a pass rusher from Va Tech.
- The Vikings take a project QB in Tarvaris Jackson from Alabama State. I have nothing to base this on, having never seen him play, but the pick reminds me of another strong-armed QB from a small school–Spergon Wynn. Yuck. I would have liked to see Croyle go here.

New York Giants
Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, Boston College

A talented player who doesn’t always play hard. Perhaps the Giants are hoping that Umenyiora and Strayhan can give him a push and get his motor started. Needs some work on his pass rushing moves, but that can be said for a lot of guys coming out of college.

Seattle Seahawks
Kelly Jennings, CB, Miami

Adds depth to the Seahawks secondary. Solid cover guy in college, but not dynamic. Isn’t a risk taker or game changer.

Indianapolis Colts
Joseph Addai, RB, LSU

Lots of teams liked Addai, I guess the Colts are one of them. I’m not too big on him. Injury problems, and could never even take the starter’s job all for himself in college. Scouting says he is a good pass blocker, so maybe the Colts feel they need a polished guy that can contribute quickly. RB was definitely a need for the Colts, I’m just not sure they picked a good one.

New York Jets
Nick Mangold, C, Ohio State

I would have loved to have seen the Jets take LenDale White at this point, or even trade down a few slots. I do like Mangold as a player though. Gives them depth in the interior line, and will hopefully become the starter at C before too long. I do like what the Jets are doing here, building from the inside out.