NFC East 2008 Draft Needs

by | 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 | 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

Steve McNair Retiring

by | Apr 17, 2008 | NFL Breaking News

While checking out ProFootballTalk for their take on the the Jared Allen situation (which is largely the same as ours–that is, blatently re-wordin all of Jay Glazer’s information–although we were able from making any comparisons of Glazer to furry rodents), we noticed that they are also reporting that Steve McNair has told the Ravens that he will retire.

It was probably time, too–the Ravens have to have been considering a QB in round one of the draft, even if McNair had returned–with his injury history, and only the generally regarded bust Kyle Boller and last year’s rookie project Troy Smith as the only QBs on the roster, they couldn’t have felt too comfortable.

Still, I tend to think that the Ravens would much prefer to find a replacement for Jonathon Ogden, who apparently has also been considering retirement–they have a couple guys with some potential, but after 10 years of having LT locked down by one of the best, the thought of losing Ogden has to be scary for the Ravens and their QBs.

Chiefs Dealing Jared Allen?

by | Apr 17, 2008 | 2008 Trades, NFL Draft

Thanks to the regulars over at RandBall, who clued us into the latest goings on in the life of a former Minnesota Golden Gopher kicker AND pointed us to a Jay Glazer article on the possibility of the Chiefs trading Jared Allen.

Apparently Allen is flying to Minnesota this week, and planning to meet with Tampa Bay next week, leading up to the NFL Draft on April 26th.

Two sticking points to the deal would be the new team agreeing to a contract with Allen, and working out compensation with the Chiefs. Both the Bucs and the Vikes have plenty of cap room, and need for a pass rushing DE. It is thought that a 1st round pick along with a 2nd or a 3rd would likely be the asking price for Allen–the Vikes pick 17th in round one, and the Bucs pick 20th.

We’ll definitely be keeping our eyes on this one, as a deal would have significant implications on the draft needs and predictions for all teams.

Spring of Their Discontent in Tampa?

by | Apr 10, 2008 | Contract Squabbles

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started this offseason with $44 million in cap space, and quickly added Jeff Faine, Ben Troupe, Warrick Dunn, Antonio Bryant, Marques Douglas, Teddy Lehman, Eugene Wilson, and a handful of other free agents.

Now comes word that RB Earnest Graham, who filled in admirably last year when Cadillac Williams went down with a torn platellor tendon, wants his share.  And maybe a little extra for his trouble?

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