By jagman28782
Published: April 29, 2005 PrintEmail
Jagman's Journal
by jagman28782, PSH mod and columnist
What a Draft!
The draft has passed and it was an eventful one. With Alex Smith going number one and Andy Stokes going number 255, there wasn't a lack of excitement in between. In this week's column, I will analyze the steals and reaches of the draft, how Jacksonville done on the draft, rant on a horrible one, give kudos to another one, and finally give another memorable non-football thought of the week.
Steals and Reaches
It's time to analyze my three biggest reaches and my three biggest steals. I won't mention Matt Jones because that horse has been beaten half to death already. Let's start.
Steals:
Antajj Hawthorne, DT, Wisconsin(pick #175 to Oakland Raiders)- Hawthorne's drop had to be the biggest surprise of the draft. Only a few weeks before the draft, he was projected as a late first/early second round pick. Uh-oh, his drug test from the combine comes back and he tests positive for marajuna. Talk about plummet. The Raiders got an incredible steal in the sixth round, but Hawthorne must clean up his image and dedicate himself better to football. Oakland may not be the place to do it though. Until he gets on the field, this is my steal of the draft.
Wesley Britt, OT, Alabama(pick #164 to San Diego Chargers)- Britt's fall was another surprise to me. He's never had problems off the field, he's a hard worker, he has heart, and he's dedicated to football, why the fall? Many teams questioned his durability after his hairline fracture at a Senior Bowl practice. Because of this injury, he could not workout at the combine. Many teams will regret passing up on Britt and I think he will be a pillar on the Chargers offensive line in the future. His fall and Michael Munoz not being drafted were injustices.
Elton Brown, OG, Virginia(pick #111 to Arizona Cardinals)- Brown's fall got me to wonder, what caused him to fall? I didn't here any injury or durability concerns, he's focused on the game, and has no off the field problems. Brown was simply lost in the shuffle. The Cards got a steal with the number one OG on a lot of boards falling to him in the fourth round. He will help anchor the Cards young offensive line and ought to be a staple there for over a decade.
Reaches:
Maurice Clarett, RB, Ohio State(pick #101 to Denver Broncos)- This was the most surprising pick of the draft by far. With the Broncos essentially full at RB, the Broncos waste a third round pick on this presonification of a quitter. I know what your saying, I could run for 1,000 yards behind that offensive line. Here's what I say to that: suit up and prove it. Clarett had one good season at OSU, most college players have at least one good season at college. Clarett will be washed out of the league in five years and will spend the rest of his career in the CFL or AFL.
Lofa Tatupu, LB, Southern California(pick #45 to Seattle Seahawks)- Talk about your blown picks of the draft. The Seahawks give up a decent amount of picks to trade up and draft a guy who probably would of been available in the sixth round, worst case fifth round. I know the Seahwaks needed a LB, but why take Tatupu with Crowder, Thurman, Blackstock, and other better LBs still on the board. I have great things about his drive and work ethic, he'll have to have drive to merit his early selection.
Michael Roos, OT, Eastern Washington(pick #41 to Tennessee Titans)- Talk about a kid who needs work, Roos is a massive project. I know Tennessee is rebuilding, so why do you take a kid that won't be ready for a few years that high? I have heard great things about his tenacity and his love of the game. Khalif Barnes would of been a much better selection at this point, but if Roos turns out like the Titans have invisioned, I will be eating my words. Until then, Michael Roos is a big-time reach by a rebuilding team.
Analysis of Jacksonville's Draft
I overall happy with Jacksonville's draft. At the end of it all, I give it a B+. I will analyze each pick individually to show you why I gave Jacksonville the grade I did.
Matt Jones, ATH, Arkansas(#21 overall pick): A big-time surprise to everyone watching the draft. Almost everyone, Jags fan or not, expected a CB or an OT with this pick. Jones can play many positions, but isn't polished in any of them. If Jones succeeds, Jacksonville will be hailed as a team that knows how to take calculated risks. If Jones fails, Jacksonville will be know as a team who doesn't what's a reach or not. My Grade: B
Khalif Barnes, OT, Washington(#52 overall): In last week's column, I predicted Barnes wouls fall to us in the second round. I'm not going to gloat because I'm surprised it actually happened. This was a great value pick for where we got him. OLT now has some depth just in case Pearson is slow to come back: My Grade: A+
Scott Starks, CB, Wisconsin(#87 overall): Some call this a reach in the third round, but the Jags needed a CB and apparently Starks was the guy. I call him the poor man's Fabian Washington, he has the speed, but not the coverage skills. He will have to play immediately if Wright and/or Cousin flop. My Grade: B-
Alvin Pearman, RB, Virginia(#127 overall): Pearman was drafted just in case something happens to Fred Taylor. The FO has lost faith in Toefield and it is evident Greg Jones is a great short-yardage guy, nothing more than that as of now. Pearman can catch the ball pretty well out of the backfield but his speed is a concern. My Grade: C+
Gerald Sensabaugh, DB, North Carolina(#157 overall)- The Jags FO called this pick a big time steal. He will provide depth this season and will compete with Deke Cooper for the SS spot after Darius leaves next offseason. I love the 46 inch vertical leap. My Grade: A-
Chad Owens, WR, Hawaii(#185 overall)- The Jags said they needed a return man and Owens was excellent in Hawaii. He doesn't have the after burners, but he is shifty and is elusive. My only concern is a defender catching him from behind in the open field. My Grade: B
Pat Thomas, ILB, North Carolina State(#194 overall)- I don't know much about Thomas. He is expected to be mainly a special teams player. With that being said, he has Tommy Hendricks' shoes to fill, that will be a tough job. I hope he's up to it. My Grade: B
Chris Roberson, CB, Eastern Michigan(#237 overall)- I have heard he is a speedster, but he has had trouble off the field with drugs. I hope we can keep him clean and focused on football. I expect him to be on the practice squad this season. My Grade: B-
Good Call of the Week
This goes to the Arizona Cardinals for their draft. Every pick looks like they will go into training camp fighting for a spot in the starting lineup. Their draft is competely solid with no uneccesary reaches, but I lot of steal. Kudos to the Arizona Cardinals organization.
Rant of the Week
My rant of the week is at the NCAA for their approval of a 12 game regular season. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it but there's one thing they threw in that made me furious. In the past, you could only count a game against a 1-AA team once toward a bowl once every four years. Now, it has been changed to once per season. All this is going to do is make that 12th game a game against a 1-AA team that has no chance. I don't want to see Alabama vs. Jacksonville State or USC vs. Montana, I want that 12th game to be a legitamate game. Shame on you NCAA for throwing some fine print in there.
My non-football thought of the week
Unfortunetely the worst time of the year is here in Alabama, NASCAR returns to Talladega. The entire week, that's all that has been talked about on the evening news. I hate NASCAR with passion but some people enjoy watching a redneck turn left for 500 miles. I don't know how or why, but some people enjoy it. The only thing you see at these races is drunks fighting, yelling, and drinking some more. A good example was the race last April in Talladega. A can't stand Jeff Gordon, but he won under caution, big whoop. All these drunks go ballistic and start throwing beer bottles and a lot of other trash at Gordon's car because he won under caution. He won, get over it, move on with your life. I could go on but I'm sure your getting tired of it.
Coming next Thursday
-I hopefully can find something good to talk about
-My non-football thought of the week involves my Senior Breakfast and why everybody still in high school should treasure those moments
I know it was a little long, but I hope it wasn't too long. I hope you enjoyed it.
Jagman's Journal