Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
This weekend the NFL Draft will be held in New York City. This has turned into an event which has grown tremendously over the years in so many ways. A lot of it comes simply from the intrigue in wondering who might get drafted by which team, and why. Also, it comes down to who might become a ‘sleeper’ pick, and who might make a trade. It’s like watching the stock market, which works like this each and every day, except here, we’re dealing with PEOPLE as the commodities!
From their 8-8 closing record last season, the JAGUARS hold the 17th overall selection in the First Round. That means they will be sitting around for most of the day, watching to see who chooses whom, while also possibly talking with a number of teams about possible deals and trades. That means there could be some veteran players out there the Jags want. It also means the Jags have a player or two they might be willing to let go, for the right compensation. Anything James Harris, Gene Smith (College Scouting), and Jack Del Rio can do to make their squad more competitive, they will do.
It’s a dog-eat-dog market, without any question at all. What I’m saying is, don’t be at all surprised if the Jaguars make a move or two over the weekend.
When you look at the Jags roster, it seems the team is set at RB, TE, and O’Line on offense, and D-Line, LB, and CB on defense. From there, I believe there are still uncertainties at QB and WR, and at Safety. That doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t talented players currently on the roster at that position. It means there are definite question marks as to who will perform and play well for the Jaguars at that position.
For all intents, nobody knows what the deal will be with Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, and Quinn Gray at QB. At WR, the jury is still out with former #1 picks Reggie Williams and Matt Jones. Perhaps that would make the Jaguars tentative when choosing a WR with a high-round pick?!
At Safety, you see Donovin Darius coming off an injury that shut him down last season, while free agent Deon Grant left, signing a contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
So, with all this said, my guess is that the Jaguars will take a Safety, a receiver, a QB, and a few others to bring in to fill their roster.
One thing I want to mention when watching this Draft, and that is that not all first-rounders become starters in the NFL. There are plenty of late-round choices that become superstars. Even looking at the Jaguars roster, of the 69 players on the current roster, only eleven were first-round choices, and seven were seventh-rounders.
Meanwhile, its still fairly shocking to me how we have seen immense interest in JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn, yet we haven’t heard a damn peep about anyone thinking about drafting Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith! Hello? How could a guy who just received the highest honor in all of college football, leading his team to the BCS National Championship game, not even be thought of as a First Round pick? Yet we are seeing so much about Russell going #1. To me, it’s simply amazing. Troy Smith will get drafted somewhere, somehow, and I’ll be extremely interested to see how his NFL career unfolds.
The Lakers seem to be realizing that one superstar cannot win a championship for an entire team. L.A. is getting eaten up by a very sound Suns squad, and I would expect that during this off-season, the Lakers will be giving a very strong look at their team to see what they need to do to get back into contending status. I’m actually a little disappointed in Phil Jackson as well for not coaching his boys to play defense, which, by the way, is needed to win in the NBA.
I’ll be curious to see what the Heat can and will do to and with the Chicago Bulls, who are playing with a little chip on their shoulder. This first round of the playoffs is a little more competitive than a lot of people believed it would be.
Going into the semifinals, also known as the second round, many are considering the Rangers to be an upstart squad, for all intents. This is a team that did not play well for most of the season, having to make a solid run at the end just to get into the playoffs. Yet, they swept the Atlanta Thrashers in the first round, and they seem to be on a roll, with Sean Avery being their sparkplug. Let’s see what New York can do against a very solid Buffalo Sabre team.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Ron Duguay, and Lonnie Marts on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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