Andrew G ends the wait with the Bills' (from Eagles) No. 28 overall pick.
With the exit of Jason Peters, Buffalo would be smart to address their offensive line, specifically their offensive tackles. I was surprised to see that Eben Britton was still available and I think he would represent the best value for the Buffalo Bills.
Britton might translate better as a RT, but being a fan of the Eagles and watching their success, I know that the game is won on the offensive and defensive lines. Eben Britton has drawn comparisons to Jon Runyan, who has been a beast for the Eagles. Britton was only a Junior so he could still develop into a franchise LT.
Buffalo's offense has the chance to be explosive, but they will need to solidify their offensive line. Plus, how are you going to get the ball to TO with Trent Edwards on his back?
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock: Pick No. 28" »
As we wait ... and wait for someone to step up and pick for Buffalo, a few stray thoughts.
I was amazed to see Tyson Jackson as the third pick in Peter King's Sports Illustrated mock. King is covering the Chiefs and Rams this week, so let's give him the benefit of the doubt and think that he's at least getting plausible information. (Although it's certainly not from Scott Pioli.) I'm rooting for him to be right, if only because it will destroy all the Mocks and show how in the dark we are about the draft process.
I don't want to hear any more about players rising and falling up draft boards. Teams began to set the boards in the last week or two and they are just finishing now. It's more like the draftniks slowly understanding, late in the process, how the NFL sees these players.
Continue reading "Jackson to the Chiefs and other draft rants" »
April 22, 2009
So the next pick in the draft was supposed to be Andy, drafting for the Eagles. They have since dealt the pick to Buffalo. Pesky real life, messing with our dorky exercises.
In the confusion, I think Andy and your humble bloggers lost track of things. So I'm going to give him 30 more minutes, then the first person who comments below will take his pick. If you are first, send the reasoning for your Bills pick to myself and Evan.Silva@nbcuni.com.
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While I'm here, I wanted to follow up on Wednesday night's Torry Holt post. Jacksonville took some heat in the comments for the size of the deal, but Jaguars.com reported Wednesday that it's essentially a very reasonable a one-year, $3 million contract.
That contract guarantees Holt has a big role on the team this year, but that's about it. It's a tryout, at a salary somewhere between quality starter and number three receiver. Holt will surely start in Jacksonville, but it reflects very poorly on Holt that it was the best deal he could get. And it makes it a sensible deal for Jacksonville, even if he doesn't rebound to fantasy usefulness.
This pick mysteriously disappeared for a few reasons overnight, but it's back! And it's still a nice selection.
Everyone is talking about the Colts needing a WR to replace Harrison or a run stopping DT. But the biggest whole the Colts have to fill is RB. I personally think the Colts will work hard to move back because there are not a lot of players that fit their style on offense or defense at this pick.
Even the next 2 RBs on the board on not the type of back they typically look for. However, Addai and Rhodes were simply pathetic last season. The Colts were 31st in total rushing offense and 32nd in ypc. The desperately need an upgrade at RB and while a running back can be had in the later rounds you can’t leave that to chance. The Colts are built to score points and being one dimensional on offense will be worse than addressing the run defense.
The Colts select RB Chris Wells.
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock Pick No. 27" »
April 21, 2009
Eric Schneider foresees the Ravens getting the steal of the draft at No. 26 overall.
The Ravens do have a glaring need at center, and a very good one in Alex Mack of California is available. However, like most people say, this is a “once in a generation draft for centers.” I think the depth of centers available allows the Ravens to look at other options with their first pick.
There have been some rumors about the Ravens looking into acquiring Anquan Boldin from the Cardinals, and I think they should definitely try. However, I don’t see the Ravens sending all their draft picks for him, and the players recently mentioned as trade bait make no sense. Even if the Cardinals have no tight end, why do they need one? They made it to the Super Bowl without a TE, and I think they can make it back without one.
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock Pick: No. 26" »
With the sun beginning to set on Tuesday, leaving just four days until the start of the 2009 NFL Draft, Phil comes through in the clutch with his prediction/recommendation for Bill Parcells' Fins at No. 25.
The Miami Dolphins are perhaps the neediest 11-5 team ever. Miami could use a WR to line up opposite of Ted Ginn, a SOLB to help the pass rush opposite of Joey Porter, a starting CB to fill the void when Andre' Goodman left, a stud NT to be Jason Ferguson's heir, and a thumper at ILB. Looking at the board at #25, Miami could go WR with Hakeem Nicks, CB with Sean Smith or Alphonso Smith, or OLB with Clint Sintim or Connor Barwin.
Sintim is probably the safest pick here having come from a 3-4 system and would be the prototypical SOLB to line up opposite of Porter. This would allow Cam Wake to slide into the backup WOLB role and learn for a year behind Porter.
With Goodman leaving, Eric Green signed as a journeyman, Will Allen's contract expiring next year, and 1st round bust Jason Allen at CB, Miami's biggest need is at CB. However Miami does have two 2nd round picks and could address whatever need isn't filled in the 1st round there. With a few CBs that are still attractive on board that should be available in the 2nd round, I'm going to roll the dice and select the safest player, which is OLB Clint Sintim.
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock: Pick No. 25" »
Andrew chimes in with the Falcons' pick at 24th overall.
The Atlanta Falcons concentrated on offense in the early rounds of last year's draft. The results were outstanding. This year they will turn their focus to the defensive side of the ball. They have a number of
needs to fill highlighted by cornerback, outside linebacker and defensive tackle. With no defensive tackles remaining worthy of this pick, their attention turns to cornerback.
Trading DeAngelo Hall to the Raiders left the secondary devoid of talent (albeit one of lesser value than his ego would have us believe) and now that Lawyer Milloy has left town they are lacking a leader. They thought
they had an answer when they traded for Dominique Foxworth but he evidently did not live up to expectations as they let him walk in free agency during the off season.
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock: Pick No. 24" »
The only thing predictable about the Patriots drafting in the first round is their unpredictability. There are three players I love in this spot, and they are common picks in various Mocks - Robert Ayers, Larry English, and Darius Butler.
This almost guarantees that none of them will be Patriots. That's one of the many reasons why Mocks are useless, impossible, and fun.
But this draft is all about what WE want. And I want a pass rusher who can set the edge. I basically want one of the Steelers' outside linebackers, and I'm willing to wait a year or two for someone to develop.
That's why Ayers is the best value left. The dude's bigger than Big Willie! It's so hard to find a good pass rusher, and the depth of quality hybrids in this draft affords a great opportunity.
Ayers is also third on Mayock's big board! Jerod Mayo, Ayers' old teammate, was another guy higher on Mayock's board than others. Honestly, that's enough for me.
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock: Pick No. 23" »
April 20, 2009
I am knee deep in wide receiver projections and outlooks for our magazine, and came upon Torry Holt this morning. Our first section is a review of the year before. It was almost painful to write about such a long-time great:
2008: So much for declining gracefully. Marc Bulger’s freefall hurt, but Holt could no longer separate from defenders, especially deep. The Rams were stuck with a small possession receiver who wasn’t explosive or physical enough to make plays after the catch. He scored once in 14 red zone targets.
When looking through the numbers and notes on Holt, I came to a depressing conclusion: he was probably lucky to get 796 yards and 64 catches last year. He finished 22nd in targets, but only 34th in yards, and 40th in fantasy points. And he had to close strong (445 yards in his last seven games) in a contract push to get there.
Now that he’s signed with Jacksonville, what has really changed? Holt is going from one of the least productive passing teams in football to one that is slightly better. He’s trading one terribly inexperienced wideout corpsfor another.
Continue reading "Jacksonville will not save Torry Holt" »
Loyal Pancake Blocks reader/commenter Jesse steps up for Vikings GM Rick Spielman with the No. 22 pick.
Let's be quite clear about this: Josh Freeman is a prospect and has the potential to be a franchise quarterback in a few years but is not ready to play the part now. The Vikings have holes that need to be addressed: Cornerback (can be dealt with in the second round) and Right Tackle (likely selection if Freeman were gone) lead the way.
That said, the opportunity to draft a potential franchise quarterback is an opportunity that should not be passed on, and the ability to do so outside the top 10 selections is a (financial) blessing. Though I am not entirely sold on Freeman, most of his shortcomings can likely be corrected if given time to develop behind Sage Rosenfels (Tarvaris' contract is up this year).
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock: Pick No. 22" »
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