NFL Draft Review

This draft had a lot of surprises, a lot of guys went lower than expected and some went higher than expected (maybe b/c teams like Buffalo were high when they picked). I think that with today's information age teams are blowing a lot more smoke than previous years, so that may have added to the so-called experts' projection mistakes.

Winners - New England & Philadelphia. I like the Pats' first two picks, Laurence Maroney and Chad Jackson. They were aggressive and traded up to get their needs; Dillon isnt getting any younger and neither he nor Faulk can stay healthy. Maroney fits their style and Jackson brings them much needed WR help. He's a guy that dropped and I'm not sure why. Philly got a very good and athletic DT in Brodrick Bunkley, but they definitely improved their OL with the drafting of Winston Justice in the 2nd(!) and then Max Jean-Gilles in the 4th(!); both were projected to be possible first round picks.

Losers - Buffalo. Seriously, WTF? Donte Whitner was a big stretch at 8 and then they traded up for John McCargo. They need impact players and they failed to get one.

Local Teams -

Baltimore: I really like the pick of Haloti Ngata and maybe now Ray Lewis will stop whining. They addressed the need at center with Chris Chester and provided running back depth by picking P.J. Daniels (boo Georgia Tech).
Washington: They traded a lot to get Rocky McIntosh, but he should start immediately. They addressed their needs and did as much as they could with what little they had; however, I don't like how they operate in the now rather than developing players. But, they have money and can do that. I do like their pick of Kedric Golston, DT out of UGA. He can be a contributor if he stays healthy.

UGA Players Drafted: Tim Jennings (Colts) and Leonard Pope (Cards) went in the 3rd, Jean-Gilles went in the 4th (Eagles), Greg Blue (Vikes) & Demario Minter (Browns) in the 5th, Golston (Skins) in the 6th, and DJ Shockley (Falcons) in the 7th.

Update - Four UGA players signed free agent contracts yesterday. They were: Russ Taner (Colts), Will Thompson (Jets), Bryan McClendon (Bears), and Dennis Roland (Cowboys).