The NFL draft is much like Opening Day in baseball. Hope springs eternal.
There isn't a team in the NFL that, in the aftermath of the draft, doesn't
feel good about itself and its chances for the upcoming season based on the
players it has selected. Like baseball teams viewing the upcoming season
through rose-colored glasses in April and thinking World Series, every NFL
team believes it's upgraded itself through the draft.
The fact is, though, that some have vastly improved themselves and some
haven't at all.
One of the true winners at last weekend's draft was clearly Seattle, which
seemingly improved both sides of the ball with N.C. State receiver Koren
Robinson and guard Steve Hutchinson along with cornerback Ken Lucas. All
three were projected first-round picks and all three could end up starting.
With starting receivers Derrick Mayes and Sean Dawkins released during the
offseason, it was imperative for Mike Holmgren to land one of the best
receivers in the draft, though with the questions surrounding Robinson's
maturity, Seattle could definitely use a veteran wideout.
|  | | Jerry Rice would make a nice addition to the Seattle Seahawks. |
And who better than 49ers' Hall-of-Fame-to-be Jerry Rice, who's already had
a number of conversations with Seattle and is most likely to land there after
June 1?
Seattle, with only Christian Fauria and Itula Mili at tight end, could use
some help in this area, too.
The Jets had a pretty good draft simply based on landing Miami receiver and
dynamic returner Santana Moss, who should immediately upgrade both areas of
desperate need.
The Jets finished 27th in the NFL in punt returns last season with an anemic
7.3-yard average and have had a dormant return game for awhile. Moss averaged
18.2 yards per return in his senior year and returned six punts for
touchdowns in the last two seasons.
The Jets, too, addressed a depth problem at running back by picking Maryland
back LaMont Jordan, who's a big bruiser with good speed. Jordan should help
spell Curtis Martin, who's worn down in the late weeks in two of the last
three seasons. Jordan, too, could greatly help the Jets in short-yardage
running, which has been an Achilles' heel for the team in recent seasons.
The Jets, though, did not address their thin defensive line and might try to do so through free agency. However, one possibility, defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield recently reached a contract agreement with the 49ers. Another possibility is former Tampa Bay DE Chidi Ahanotu..
That could prompt Shaun Ellis, a No. 1 pick a year ago, to move inside and
play a Warren Sapp type role for Jets' coach Herman Edwards, formerly with
Tampa Bay.
Among the disappointments in this past draft included the Chiefs, who had to
give up a lot (their top two picks) to get quarterback Trent Green.
Kansas City took defensive tackle Eric Downing and troubled Florida State
receiver Marvin Minnis with its top two picks after the Green trade. Both
players are unlikely candidates as starters, though they could provide depth.
The Chiefs are still weak at running back. Kansas City signed Priest Holmes recently, but he probably won't be the solution to the committee system they've gone with for too long. They probably should have reached out in the
draft and tried to make a direct hit on a back who could become a featured
type back. Last season, Kansas City's best back was Tony Richardson, who's
really more of a fullback type, geared for blocking.
Now that the Chiefs have their quarterback, they need a running back.
The Colts are another team that could have fared better in the draft. As
usual, they entered the draft in need of defense and didn't properly address
that, picking receiver Reggie Wayne out of Miami as perhaps their most
marquee selection.
With cornerback Tyrone Poole having been released in the offseason, the
Colts are still in search of a starting-quality corner. The draft was deep in
corners, but they didn't address the position, picking free safety project
Idress Bashir.
The Colts, too, needed to address the defensive line, another area of the
draft that was deep, and yet they didn't go in that direction either.
The Jaguars took a risk in bypassing Florida tackle Kenyatta Walker and
going with Georgia defensive tackle Marcus Stroud. Though Stroud is a good
pick, the Jags need offensive line help to keep Mark Brunell alive. They did,
however, pick Michigan tackle Maurice Williams in the second round with hopes
they addressed the need.
The Steelers, faced with their top four cornerbacks being eligible for free
agency after this season, probably should have taken a corner in this
corner-rich draft. Instead, they opted for blue-collar worker, Texas
defensive tackle Casey Hampton, not a bad choice.
But the Steelers will soon need help at corner.
The Raiders hope they addressed a need at strong safety by picking Derrick
Gibson with their top pick. They, too, took a shot at a quarterback of the
future with Marques Tuiasosopo, though taking him in the second round was
questionable considering their immediate needs at linebacker, where all three
starters are over 30.
The Raiders might get lucky with Ohio State receiver Ken-Yon Rambo, who
inexplicably fell to the seventh round after being projected by most to go in
the first three. They'd still like to add some receiving help since Tim Brown and company aren't
getting any younger.
The Ravens, as defending Super Bowl champions, didn't have the most choice
pick at last in the first round, so they reached out for tight end Todd Heap,
who could work in well with Shannon Sharpe.
But Baltimore entered the draft in need of some interior offensive line
help, particularly at center, where it lost starter Jeff Mitchell to free
agency. This is an area the Ravens might address via free agency after June 1
salary cap casualties become
available.
Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post writes an AFC notebook every other Thursday for ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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