2010 NFL Draft Preview
With only two weeks until the annual National Football League Draft it’s time to start looking ahead to where the talented players of the college gridiron will embark on their professional careers. Some analysts feel that this 2010 NFL Draft is one of the deepest in years defensively; I am inclined to agree. This years NFL draft marks a departure from the NFL draft of old by holding the first round on Thursday, April 22, the second and third rounds on Friday, April 23, and the final rounds of the regular draft, rounds four through seven on Saturday. The additional rounds of the supplemental draft will still occur some weeks following the regular draft. Another departure from the NFL status quo is the elimination of the salary cap for the 2010 season.
This past offseason the league owners opted out of the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association and by doing so successfully eliminated the NFL salary cap. In years prior, NFL teams were required to keep their total team salaries between the minimum of 114 million dollars and the maximum of 127 million dollars. This was critical because it kept cheap owners from under paying their players and wealthy owners from buying talent through free agency. The 2010 NFL season will likely be one of the most significant seasons ever. The structure and organization of the league will be greatly affected by what happens during this uncapped year. The 2010 NFL football season is sure to be one of the most memorable in the modern era and it starts on Thursday, April 22 with the NFL draft.
- St. Louis Rams: With the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams select Sam Bradford, Quarterback from Oklahoma. I don’t think there will be any surprises here. The Rams need a franchise quarterback to step in and run their vertical passing game after long time quarterback Marc Bulger was released by the team on April 5.
- Detroit Lions: Once again the Lions come into another NFL Draft with a high pick and many needs. Since they hopefully wont take a wide receiver again their most pressing needs are at the offense and defensive tackles. Last years first overall pick, Matthew Stafford, needs a left tackle to protect his blind side so he can confidently stand in the pocket and deliver the football down the field to wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Russell Okong might just be the final piece to the puzzle in Detroit, but I doubt the Lions will go with an offense tackle. The two defensive tackles, Gerald McCoy from Oklahoma and Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska, are too talented to pass up. The Lions will take Suh after he had one of the most dominating seasons of any collegiate defense player in decades.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been looking for a replacement for Warren Sapp since he left the team for the Raiders in 2003. The Bucs run the famous Tampa 2 defense and they need another stout run stopper in order to free up the linebackers to concentrate more on the passing game. Gerald McCoy will be taken with the third pick with high hopes of developing into the Warren Sapp of the future.
- Washington Redskins: In what was arguably the biggest move of the offseason, the Redskins acquired veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb from their archrivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. With the acquisition of McNabb, Washington might actually be able to put together a respectable season in what will again be a competitive NFC East. But Donovan Mcnabb is 33 years old and six time Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels just retired in March, so the Skins are going to draft Russell Okung, the left tackle from Oklahoma State, to protect Donovan’s blind side.
- Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have many needs on both sides of the ball. They went out and got quarterback Matt Cassel from the New England Patriots and they need to draft an offensive tackle to give him more protection so he can be an effective pocket passer. Kansas City is going to take the best available offensive tackle, which is going to be Bryan Bulaga from Iowa.
- Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are a team that were in contention for a Super Bowl title not that long ago and now find themselves picking within the top ten of the draft. It will be interesting to see where Pete Carroll will start to build his new franchise. Don’t be surprised if Caroll trades down to get more draft picks but if the Seahawks pick at number six they’ll take Trent Williams, the offensive tackle from Oklahoma. They need a replacement for the nine time pro-bowler Walter Jones in order to protect the blind side of an aging Matt Hasselbeck.
- Cleveland Browns: Newly hired Browns president Mike Holmgren is known for molding great quarterbacks. Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre and Matt Hasselback all played under the tutelage of Holmgren but I think he’ll have the self-control to pass up on another Notre Dame quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, and take Eric Berry, the hard-hitting safety from Tennessee.
- Oakland Raiders: Once again the Oakland Raiders have many needs on both sides of the ball. As usual, it’s anyones guess as to what eccentric owner Al Davis is going to do with his draft pick. They need a left tackle but also a quarterback because it doesn’t look like JaMarcus Russell is going to pan out. They wont take a quarterback in the first round and left tackle is too boring for Al Davis to take at number eight, especially with the way things worked out with the last high draft pick they wasted on offensive tackle Robert Gallery. Look for the raiders to take defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul from South Florida to add a pass rush to their above average defense.
- Buffalo Bills: New head coach Chan Gailey was a long-time offensive coordinator and surely will turn to the offense with the number nine pick. Explosive running back C.J. Spiller from Clemson is probably the safest pick but Gailey needs a quarterback to run his offense and Jimmy Clausen is just the golden domer for the job. Look for Clausen to be taken with the number nine pick.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Not so long ago the jaguars had one of the most intimidating defenses in the NFL with arguably the most intimidating defense line of any team. The jaguars will take the linebacker from Alabama, Rolando McClain, to play behind recently added defensive end Aaron Kampman. McClain is an outstanding tackler who can play sideline to sideline and will help to strengthen the middle of the Jags defense.
- Denver Broncos: The Broncos will be tempted to take talented wide receiver Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State to replace Brandon Marshall who was traded to the Miami Dolphins on April 14. The staple of Denver Bronco’s football has been its zone running game, which has operated for a long time behind five time Pro Bowl center Tom Nalen, who retired in 2008. Look for the Broncos to take offensive lineman Maurkice Pauncey, the talented center from the University of Florida.
- Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins are down two Pro Bowl and possibly hall of fame pass rushers in Jason Taylor and Joey Porter. They are working on resigning Taylor who is currently a free agent but they need some youth to rush the passer and play opposite Taylor if he opts for Miami instead of the Jets. Defensive end Derrick Morgan from Georgia Tech was the ACC’s best defensive player last year and likely where the Dolphins will go with the number twelve pick.
- San Francisco 49er’s: Defensive minded head coach Mike Singletary will take Florida cornerback Joe Haden with the thirteenth pick. They have other needs but they can be addressed with the teams’ second pick in the first round at number seventeen.
- Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks reappear in the first round at the fourteenth pick and will look to address their need at the running back position. C.J. Spiller will take some pressure off of new offensive tackle Trent Williams, if they draft Williams, and give Matt Hasselbeck a much-needed option out of the backfield to avoid taking unnecessary hits from blitzing defenders.
- New York Giants: The Giants will take outside linebacker Sergio Kindle from Texas with the fifteenth overall pick. The versatile linebacker has an outstanding ability to rush the passer and will fit well into the pressure heavy defensive scheme in New York.
- Tennessee Titans: The titans need a pass rusher to get after Payton Manning when they see him twice a year and with Pierre-Paul and Morgan already taken, look for the Titans to take defensive end Everson Griffen from Southern California.
- San Francisco 49er’s: The 49er’s will use their second pick in the first round to take versatile offensive lineman Mike Iupati from Idaho. Iupati can play either guard or tackle and will help block for Frank Gore as he attempts to make another Pro Bowl.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: The Pittsburgh Steelers organization is falling apart at the seams. After winning a league record sixth Super Bowl Championship two seasons ago, the team has watched Ben Roethlisberger twice face allegations of rape and star wide receiver Santonio Holmes hit the trading block for the greener pastures of the New York Jets. Pittsburgh needs to get back to their bread and butter, a solid ground game and a dominating defense. Look for the Steelers to take offensive tackle Anthony Davis from Rutgers to help create some holes for Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall.
- Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons have a strong offense built around running back Michael Turner and quarterback Matt Ryan so they’ll address the defensive side of the ball with the nineteenth overall pick. The falcons need a pass rusher to play opposite of Jonathon Abraham and multitalented Brandon Graham from Michigan is the likely man for the job.
- Houston Texans: The Texans offense needs a running back to eat up some clock late in ball games. Ryan Matthews, the running back from Fresno State, is exactly the type of back the Texans need. He’s a powerful runner who can score from anywhere on the field and will allow Houston to maintain offensive possession in the fourth quarter in order to seal wins.
- Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals will be tempted to take talented wide receiver Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State or even tight end Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma but they addressed the passing game this offseason with the addition of wide receiver Antonio Bryant. Look for the Bengals to take safety Earl Thomas from Texas. Adding strength to their secondary could make the Bengals contenders in the AFC North.
- New England Patriots: The Pats need to make several additions to their aging defense and the line in particular. New England will take Penn State’s defensive tackle Jared Odrick because of his versatility. He is stout enough to play nose tackle in their 3-4 defense and athletic enough to bump outside to play the defensive end position.
- Green Bay Packers: The packers need to do something to address their league leading 51 sacks from a year ago. Offensive tackle Bruce Campbell from Maryland should help.
- Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are looking to rebuild their team around young talent after trading long time quarterback Donovan McNabb to their NFC East rival, the Washington Redskins. They believe they have a starting quarterback in Kevin Kolb and will look to address their needs in the defensive secondary by drafting super freak safety Taylor Mays from USC.
- Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens have already addressed their offensive needs this offseason by signing wide receivers Anquan Boldin, Donte Stallworth and resigning Derrick Mason. The ravens are going to look to strengthen their defense by drafting defensive end Carlos Dunlap from Florida.
- Arizona Cardinals: Arizona is going to miss their recently retired quarterback Kurt Warner and former wide receiver Anquan Boldin on the offensive side of the ball. Look for the Cardinals to take super star wide receiver Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State to bring some firepower back to the desert. It should be exciting to see how Bryant reacts to dropping to the twenty-sixth spot after his prima donna antics this past season.
- Dallas Cowboys: After releasing five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Flozell Adams on April 2, the Cowboys will look to solidify their offensive line in a hope to calm Tony Romos’ happy feet. Dallas will likely take Charles Brown, the offensive tackle from Southern California.
- San Diego Chargers: The chargers are left with an enormous void in their defense after the departure of gigantic defensive tackle Jaamal Williams. The chargers will probably draft an even larger man to replace Williams, Terrence Cody, the defensive tackle from Alabama. Cody, nicknamed Mount Cody because of his size, will be a great fit for the nose tackle position in San Diego.
- New York Jets: The Jets look like a team ready to take their place atop the AFC and contend for a Super Bowl. They have a fast defense that stops the run and gets after the quarterback and one of the best offensive lines in football which blocks for a very solid running attack. In addition they have a young quarterback with a strong arm to stretch the field. It’s time to draft a wide receiver to give the Jets’ offense more of a vertical threat. Look for New York to take Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to help stretch opposing defenses down the field.
- Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota needs to address their secondary in the first round of this years’ draft. They run a cover two scheme that mandates that they have a secondary full of defenders who tackle well in open space. With the injury to Antoine Winfield this past season look for the Vikings to take sure tackler Devin McCourty, the physical cornerback from Rutgers.
- Indianapolis Colts: The Colts need to address their needs in the secondary with the thirty-first pick. Patrick Robinson, the cornerback from Florida State, has the versatility to play in the Colts’ traditional cover two defense with the upper body strength to jam wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and the speed to play man to man coverage.
- New Orleans Saints: The Saint’s just won the Super Bowl, now what? They released defensive end Charles Grant so it seems that the saints’ obvious choice is to replace him through draft. It’s hard to say but I think the Saint’s will take Dan Williams, the defensive tackle from Tennessee. The saints have to play Atlanta and Carolina twice a year and Williams run stopping ability will be called upon against these run heavy offenses.
This years NFL draft is certain to have an historic impact on the league. These are my guesses as to where the bright young stars of the college game will begin their professional careers. For more insight into all things NFL, including more pre-draft analysis, tune into WPRB’s weekly sports update show, TIMEOUT, this and every Friday at 5:00 pm on 103.3 FM and listen.wprb.com.
-Matthew Kann ‘13