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Thursday, 03 May 2007 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Assistant Managing Editor
Now that the 2007 NFL Draft is past, the clock starts on experts speculating which of the area teams took small steps toward success and which squandered the opportunity to acquire key cogs for the upcoming season.
Browns: Landing LT Joe Thomas with the No. 3 pick was a no brainer. The backbone of a successful team is strong line play on both sides of the ball, and Cleveland fans know that has been lacking for some time. Thomas should solidify the line and fit in nicely with G/C Eric Steinbach who the team acquired via free agency.
There were some rumblings of selecting Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson or Brady Quinn with the pick. GM Phil Savage told Quinn’s agent Friday the team would not select him with the third pick and taking Peterson without a line would be a moot point.
Trading back into the first round to get Quinn was genius and proves some one in Cleveland knows a little something about football. Quinn should be the face of the franchise for the next decade and has all the skills a quarterback could want. Plus he now has Thomas protecting his blind side — something Tim Couch never had the benefit of during his stint with the Browns.
While some fans think the price tag (next year’s first round selection most notably) was steep, it is clear Quinn is not Couch and should succeed. Quinn is a major upgrade over Charlie Frye and could start by Week Six. Picking up Eric Wright, a corner from UNLV, in the second round should strengthen the secondary.
Grade: A
Bengals: The Bengals addressed a glaring need in the first round by taking Michigan product Leon Hall to bolster the secondary. Hall, who ran a sub 4.4 40 at the combine, is an upgrade over the aging secondary and should give the Bengals a formidable corner duo with last year’s first round selection Jonathan Joseph.
The selection of Kenny Irons, a running back from Auburn, was a value pick and calls into question the future of Chris Perry in Cincinnati. Irons is a hard runner and should be a nice change of pace from fellow Auburn product Rudy Johnson.
However the Bengals did not address defensive line or linebacker needs in the early rounds and failing to do so could be the downfall of this year’s squad.
Drafting Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe does provide Carson Palmer with a serviceable backup but he should not be relied upon to carry the team for more than a series or two should Palmer go down.
Grade: C+
Lions: Despite all the smoke screens thrown up in recent months about wanting to trade down for DE Gaines Adams, the Lions were smart and took the surest thing in the draft in WR Calvin Johnson from Georgia Tech. Johnson is electric on the field and is a hybrid of Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, minus the attitude problems and other baggage.
Not only did they land Johnson, but the Lions also took QB Drew Stanton in the second round — a player offensive coordinator Mike Martz is infatuated with.
Stanton lacks a superior arm strength, but he has a quick release and is accurate. He also is big and athletic with quick feet and should fit in well in Martz’s complex system.
Selecting DE/LB hybrid Ikaika Alama-Francis out of Hawaii inject youth and passion into an underachieving defensive line.
Alama-Francis was a sack machine last season for the Warriors and should blossom under head coach Rod Marinelli’s Cover-2 scheme.
The lone chink is the Lions’ draft armor was the lack of selecting secondary help after the departure of Dre Bly.
In a Cover-2 defense, defensive backs are critical and the Lions could have bolstered their attack by adding a quality safety in the later rounds.
Grade: B+
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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 May 2007 )
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