The Sports Headquarters

No it’s not just about Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, let’s see who teams passed on that made you say, huh and that will produce Draft Battles to Watch.

Michael Floyd over Riley Reiff:  The Cardinals still, somehow, have a gigantic need on the offensive line, and they had their chance to take the position of need over the consensus better talent.  If Floyd flops, and doesn’t become a dynamic playmaker, or if Reiff starts making All Pro teams, you have to wonder if management made the right call.

Bruce Irvin over every other pass rusher: Listen I had Irvin going in round 3 to a 3-4 team who could let him line up on obvious passing downs and get after the quarterback, and that would have been fine, but at 15?  He almost has to produce double digit sacks within the first three seasons, or becomes an everydown, effective player, then it may not have been the right pick.

Kevin Zeitler over David DeCastro:  I know, I know Bengals fans this wasn’t exactly how it went down, but it is close enough.  The question is whether or not Zeitler and Brandon Thompson are better than DeCastro.  Now if Zeitler turns into the ten year starter that I think he can, and Thompson reaches his full, first round potential, then this is a moot point.

Harrison Smith and Travon Wilson over Trumaine Johnson:  I’ve come to question a lot of things in my time, and sometimes with Bill Belichik I wonder if he likes to over think things in order to show he is smarter than everyone else.

It’s not to say that Wilson was a bad pick, in fact I think with that third round pick they added Wilson would have been perfect, and available, but Johnson is the better prospect.

Meanwhile, Harrison Smith is one of the stiffest safeties in the box that I have ever seen, and I am just not a fan.

AJ Jenkins, Brian Quick over Stephen Hill and Alshon Jeffery: I’ll be completely honest here, I was not a Stephen Hill fan, I thought the talk of him going in the early 20’s was ridiculous, but at the end of round 1, with the Texans, 49ers, and so on, I thought he would be an ok fit.

Then the 49ers shocked EVERYONE, and anyone that says differently is flat out lying because NO ONE had Jenkins as a first round talent, by taking Jenkins at the end of round 1.

Then round 2 started and what do you know, Brian Quick out of little Appalachian State went number one overall in round 2.

I don’t understand, maybe I missed something, three raw WR prospects, and Hill, the one that is most ready, the one that has also has the most upside, goes last?  Ehh, that’s why I love the draft, because it gives you AT LEAST three years of debate.

Then you have Jeffery, who has the best tape of all four players, but got a little plump during his last season, and that caused a couple of worries from teams.  The tape has shown a dominant type player who can be a game changer, and was easily the best player available at this time.

Everyone over Courtney Upshaw:  You don’t know where to play him?  So you pass on that much on field talent?

Derek Wolfe over Jerel Worthy and Devon Still:  I get the fact that Worthy has motor questions and still is more of a two down only defensive lineman, but Wolfe at pick 36?  He is a high energy, high motor guy, but I don’t see someone who comes in and takes the pressure off the interior of the line.

LaMichael James and Isaiah Pead over Lamar Miller:  I know the NFL is changing, but both of these picks are curious to me for a simple reason… Why so early?  If Miller was still on the board , wouldn’t Pead and James be there?

Maybe not, I think Pead and James were kind of connected, and once Pead went, I think James was going to go shortly after because they were the best Darren Sproles types, hell we saw Ronnie Hillman go before Miller.  Do I need to revise this?