I don’t pay much attention to the build up to the Draft as there
are too many imponderables to provide any realism to project which player will
go to what team except for the first few, but even then there can be twists
with trades.
The NFL Draft is big business, even big show business.
There will be blanket coverage for the league in the news and
social media at the end of this month. “A three-day outdoor football festival for
families and fans of all ages,” is how the NFL describes the extravaganza
that will take over Chicago.
The teams have been evaluating players throughout the college
season climaxing with the NFL Scouting Combine
at the beginning of the year. Take a look at each team’s front office
listing the personnel in their scouting unit. There’s a lot of depth and
investment in the department, because it can provide some outstanding rewards.
But, all the research and analysis in the world isn’t guaranteed
to pick a winner and there are many occasions when teams overlook future stars.
Tom Brady wasn’t selected until the
sixth round of the 2000 draft, but six other quarterbacks were picked before he
was taken by New England.
For nearly forty years, the Steelers
were perennial losers, but when they hired Chuck
Noll in 1969 he built a Super Bowl
winning team through the draft. His first ever pick Joe Greene turned into a legend and the Hall of Fame is filled with many more of Noll’s draft choices.
I was fortunate once to visit the Steelers “war room.” It was during the season and on one wall were several
columns of cards with players’ names arranged in slots so they could be moved
up or down as the individual’s stock rose or dipped. The pro season was still
in flight, but the Steelers were already evaluating players they might draft in
six months’ time.
Steelers General Manager Kevin has stated the Steelers will focus this
year on the defensive side of the ball. Steeler fans have been complaining about
the team’s secondary for years so they will be hoping Pittsburgh uses its first round pick on a cornerback for the first
time since 1997 when they selected Chad
Scott.
The Steelers won’t be the only team in the division adding depth
to their defense. The Bengals
eleventh ranked defense took a hit when their Pro Bowler safety Reggie Nelson agreed a two year deal
with Oakland.
Cincinnati did pick up
linebacker Karlos Dansby from Cleveland, but they need to do more on
that side of the ball. The Bengals lost two receivers to free agency so replacements
should also figure in their draft.
After their 5-11 season, the Ravens
find themselves in the unusual position of having a high pick that should
provide them with a great opportunity to select a solid player to strengthen
their defense.
Now the Browns have RG3 onboard and with experts projecting
them to select a quarterback with their overall second pick, it appears that
Josh McCown could find himself redundant in Cleveland.
Maybe new head coach Hue
Jackson thinks differently about using that top pick on a quarterback. He enthused
about Josh McCown, “You
don’t play in this league for 15 years having not been very good at what you
do. He provides us with a really good quarterback, obviously a veteran presence
and I am just excited to work with him.”
With the loss of Travis
Benjamin to free agency, whoever leads the Browns at quarterback may not
have anyone to throw to unless they address the deficit in the draft.
One player who may not find work is Browns receiver Josh Gordon, who was forced to sit out
last season for drugs violation. It appears he has failed another drugs test so
has to wait until August for the NFL’s decision on whether he can play. Stories
are now circulating that Gordon is living with Johnny Manziel. You just couldn’t make it up, but it is the Browns
we are talking about so we don’t have to.