AFC North 2008 Draft Needs

by Tony | Apr 22, 2008 | NFL Draft

AFC North 2008 Draft Needs, Team by Team

Pittsburgh Steelers
Top needs: OL, DB, DE
Alan Faneca left, Marvel Smith has struggled, Sean Mahan did not play well last year, Kendall Simmons has had his ups and downs and while Willie Colon has a some skills he hasn’t fully developed either. That right there is pretty much the entire line that often failed to keep Ben Roethlisberger upright and create running room for Willie Parker. At defensive back Anthony Smith was the clown that ran his mouth and then got schooled by Randy Moss. He’s not a starter but the guys ahead of him haven’t been terribly durable. At defensive end the Steelers have the solid Aaron Smith but many publications say there is concern he is slowing down.

Cleveland Browns
Top needs: CB, OLB/DE, RB
The Cleveland Browns might have boring uniforms but this organization is a popular pick to be one of the league’s most exciting young teams this season. They need to improve on a defense that struggled through most of a 10-6 season in 2007 and they have taken several steps to do so by adding DTs Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams to a line that couldn’t stop the run. Now they need to replace CB Leigh Bodden, traded to Detroit in the Rogers deal. He was a largely unknown but respected and improving piece that was tough to see go. Improving the pass rush with a complement to LB Kamerion Wimbley would also help. On offense the Browns are largely set after adding Donte Stallworth to the WR rotation. Jamal Lewis had a resurgent season last year but he’s getting up there in age. A running back that could step in to give him a breather would be a useful piece to the puzzle.
Cincinnati Bengals
Top needs: WR, LB, DT
After a couple years where it looked like the Bengals were trending upward the bottom could be close to falling out. Carson Palmer might not have any wide receivers left with Chris “If I can’t give high school students beer then I’ll kick out your back windshield and punch you in the face” Henry (finally) released and Chad Johnson trying to whine his way out of town. T.J. Houshmandzadeh still remains but he’s skipping off-season workouts, leaving Palmer to work with a handful of receivers that will likely be bagging groceries when the season starts. The team also needs to start adding some defensive talent, primarily along the line, where Justin Smith left, and at linebacker, where the team last season was forced by injury to employ several guys who should have been bagging groceries with the guys now catching practice passes from Palmer. Could be a tough year ahead in Cincy.

Baltimore Ravens
Top needs: QB, LT, CB
Kyle Boller hasn’t developed, Steve McNair is retired and Troy Smith is a long way from being ready to take the helm as a starter for the Ravens, my early guess for the number one pick in the 2009 draft. No quarterback coupled with the likely retirement of likely Hall-of-Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden leave the Ravens lacking at two of an offense’s most important positions. The Ravens still have some cogs especially on defense. But cornerbacks Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister are aging and they don’t have anyone waiting in the wings. Safety is also a possibility as Ed Reed is the only sure thing. Couple the question marks with a brutal schedule and the 2008 season is likely a building one for new coach John Harbaugh.

NFC East 2008 Draft Needs

by Tony | Apr 21, 2008 | NFL Draft

NFC East 2008 Draft Needs, Team by Team

New York Giants
Top Needs: DB, LB, QB
One would expect the defending Super Bowl Champions to have relatively few holes, but that’s not totally the case with the 2008 Giants.  Their defensive backfield wasn’t really that good in 2007, and lost Gibril Wilson to the Raiders.  Sammy Knight helps some, and last year’s top pick Aaron Ross will likely be an ok starter, but depth is still a huge concern, and none of their safeties are all that special.  Linebacker is more of a depth concern, although losing Kawika Mitchell doesn’t help.  Both positions are aided by the Giants’ strong pass rush, which may be aided by the move of Mathias Kiwanuka back to DE.  Quarterback isn’t a high need, with Eli Manning having started every game over the last few years, but top backup Jared Lorenzen has no experience and is a couple Big Macs away from being a backup in the CFL.

Dallas Cowboys
Top Needs: CB, RB, QB
The Cowboys were the class of the NFC last season, and depth may end up being a larger concern than specific holes.  They lost nickel back Jacques Reeves, and would likely prefer to find someone to bump Anthony Henry to that role.  Not surprisingly, Julius Jones bolted as well, after Marion Barber took most of the important carries over the last two years.  There are concerns over whether Barber can handle a feature back role, but while he hasn’t done it dating back to college, there’s also not really any evidence of injury history or wearing down.  Still, with Jerry Jones at the helm, he’d likely break his plasticized smile if he could find a way to snag Darren McFadden—and the ‘boys have two first round picks.  A lot of people consider WR a top need as well, and they may take one at some point, but finding a “project” quarterback should be towards the top of the list too, as Brad Johnson is their top choice if Jessica Simpson causes Tony Romo any more problems.

Philadelphia Eagles
Top Needs: LB, OL, DL
The Eagles finished in 4th place in the NFC East last year, and unless something dramatic happens, will probably finish worse than 8-8 in 2008.  The team cut Takeo Spikes in March, and while they’ve added Rocky Boiman, that hardly seems like an upgrade.  Chris Gacong and Omar Gaither are apparently decent, but hardly household names—this draft was the first I’d even heard of them.  The Eagles offensive line is getting old fast, especially at tackle, and Winston Justice hasn’t shown that he’s up to the task yet.  If they fail to get some young projects, they could find themselves mirroring the Chiefs recent OL decline.  On the defensive line, its mostly a quality depth issue—Trent Cole and Juqua Thomas are decent pass rushers, but may not hold up long against the run, especially if they can’t take a breather.  Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are decent up the middle, but there’s not much behind them—and Patterson apparently has an affinity for little green plants that could land him in some trouble.

Washington Redskins
Top Needs: DL, WR, LB
The Redskins have plenty of holes as well, and in addition to the positions listed could use a couple of younger offensive lineman, and some more depth at safety.  But their defensive line is probably the weakest overall, with an aging Phillip Daniels likely being the biggest hole.  The ‘skins have been looking for a compliment for Santana Moss since they’ve had him, and Antwaan Randle El just isn’t going to cut it as a #2 WR.  Linebacker is a concern as well, with Rocky McIntosh ending the year on IR, Marcus Washington fighting injuries, and team defensive leader London Fletcher creeping up there in age.  Fortunately, one thing that the Redskins appear to have going for them is owner Dan Snyder finally appearing to have backed off from meddling—but let’s see how long that holds up with newbie Jim Zorn leading the team instead of Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs.

2008 NFL Draft Needs Coming

by Tony | Apr 21, 2008 | NFL Draft

We’re finally getting around to posting what we think are the biggest areas of need for the upcoming NFL draft–unlike the draft publications, we’ve tried to wait and let everything like the Jared Allen situation play out before we make our calls.  We reviewed the draft publications (including an updated little guide book from Pro Football Weekly–which was a smart move on their part, although I would say pricing it at $20 is ridiculous–I can’t think of any reason I would have bought it if I wasn’t blogging about the draft).

So starting this morning you’ll see two posts a day with draft needs for each team, by division–one in the morning, one in the afternoon.  Are we off base, did we miss something?  Let us know with your comments!

AFC East Draft Needs
NFC East Draft Needs
AFC North Draft Needs
NFC North Draft Needs
AFC South Draft Needs
NFC South Draft Needs
AFC West Draft Needs
NFC West Draft Needs

2008 NFL Mock Draft