Monday, April 20, 2009

NFL Draft: Offense

I did my top 5's but I wanted to give some thoughts on the Offensive depth and talent in the upcoming NFL Draft.

First thing I wanted to comment on the quarterbacks in this class. Even though it looks like two QB's (Stafford and Sanchez) will be taken in the top 10 picks, and a third quarterback (Josh Freeman) will join them in the first round, I feel this is a very questionable quarterback group. I don't see a 'franchise' quarterback in the bunch. I think there are a lot of questions for all of these players and none of them are close to a sure thing. I think Stafford will be a solid starter in the league, but not a star worthy of a top 5 pick.

As for the rest of the skill positions it looks like it will be a very deep draft. It is an especially strong draft for receivers with, anywhere between 4-6 taken in the first round. Past the 1st round there are a number of additional wideouts that can be solid 3rd or 4th receivers in the NFL. While there aren't many complete tight ends in this draft I think there are seven quality guys who could become contributors in the NFL. I think Chase Coffman can be a weapon in the mold of Chris Cooley or Dallas Clark. He gets overlooked sometimes because he's not the fastest guy in the draft but he is sure-handed and always open. I think that while not as heralded as wideouts the running backs are pretty talented in this draft. Each one of the top four guys can be an every down back. My sleeper at this position Rashad Jennings is a very intriguing prospect. He's often overlooked because he played at Liberty, but I think he could be the best running back in this class. He's a power guy in the mold of Brandon Jacobs or Jerome Bettis. He also has some speed to go along with the power and should break his share of runs over 20 yards.

Another strength of this draft is the depth and talent of the offensive lineman that are available. Offensive tackles and centers are extremely deep. I think both Eugene Monroe and Jason Smith can be cornerstone left tackles. Beyond those two, there are a good 7-10 guys who can be solid to very good starting tackles. I think this could be the deepest center crop in years, Alex Mack, Max Unger and Eric Wood all have Pro Bowl potential. There's at least 3 or 4 additional starter prospects as well. Guard isn't nearly as deep of a position as tackle or center, but there are a few quality prospects. Duke Robinson has a ton of potential and should develop into a star.

Overall I like the offensive talent in this draft class. Though there aren't a ton of superstars or 'franchise' players there is a lot of starting potential in this class. I think there is a lot of depth and talent on the offensive side of the ball in this draft.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Steve...I would like to see a 1st round mock draft if you are up to it. there is a lot of talk about what the Eagles will do with their other first round pick, 21st overall, since they traded their 28th pick away for the Pro Bowl Left Tackle from Buffalo, Jason Peters.

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  2. Hey Nate. I'm working on my Mock Draft right now and it should be up sometime Thur. The Eagles are a tough team to figure out there is are so many ways they could go with that pick. They could trade up, trade back or trade the pick for a player (Boldin I think is a real possiblity). If they keep the pick I think RB, DE, and WR are all possibilites but one guy that I think could be in the mix is Brandon Pettigrew TE from OK St. I think he would be a nice compliment to their speedy receivers on the outside and should help their running game with his blocking.

    Check back for my final thoughts later this week.

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