Draft Judgements: Carroll showcases his capability
1. Quarterbacks often define drafts, and this one was no different. It forever will be remembered for Tim Tebow going in the first round, Jimmy Clausen in the second and Colt McCoy in the third.
But it should be remembered for someone else, and it's not a quarterback I'm talking about. It's Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks.
When Carroll returned to the NFL he insisted on being his own personnel director, and now we know why. Carroll knows what he wants, and he knows how to get it.
The evidence was there in this weekend's NFL Draft when Carroll lapped most of the field with choices that were smart and timely. He found Russell Okung and Earl Thomas in the first round, Golden Tate in the second and LenDale White and Leon Washington in weekend trades.
Talk about a serious roster upgrade. He found the tackle to replace Walter Jones. He found a starting safety. He found speed on the outside. He found a return specialist. And he found his running back ... and maybe two.
Welcome back, Pete. Welcome back, Seattle.
2. For those wondering why Carroll would leave a good situation at USC, consider this: A year ago the Trojans had three first-round picks, including quarterback Mark Sanchez. This year they had none. In fact, South Florida had two players chosen before Taylor Mays became the first USC player to clear the board. Case closed.
3. The heat just went up on Denver coach Josh McDaniels, and it should. He spent a first-round pick on a quarterback (Tebow) who may not -- should not -- play this year, and the Broncos don't have that luxury. This isn't Indianapolis or San Diego or New England we're talking about. This is a club that hasn't had a winning season in three years and that just traded for a young quarterback in Brady Quinn. Yet it burned a first-round pick on a guy who may not play? Wow. Good luck, Josh. You may need it.
4. No one did better this weekend than the Big 12 conference. It produced five of the first six draft picks, including the first four -- with Oklahoma responsible for three of them.
5. Last time I checked, Ben Roethlisberger was still the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers -- as if you should be surprised. The Steelers aren't going to deal him, not now, anyway. Another screw-up, yes, but as one head coach said, "They're just trying to scare him." Reports that the Steelers were talking to Oakland should have accomplished that.
6. Give the Oakland Raiders this: They finally got a draft right. They didn't choose Maryland tackle Bruce Campbell in the first round, waiting instead to get him in the fourth, which was about where he should have gone. Taking inside linebacker Rolando McClain with the eighth overall pick was smart, too. That was the pick that had everyone predicting another reach, and, fortunately for Raiders Nation, it didn't happen. Maybe, just maybe, the Raiders are wising up after the JaMarcus Russell and Darrius Heyward-Bey fiascos.
7. It's hard not to like what GM Mike Tannenbaum is doing with the New York Jets. He finds cornerback Kyle Wilson at the 29th spot, a steal for a terrific cover guy, then picks up USC running back Joe McKnight in the fourth after pulling off a deal with Carolina. McKnight is perfect for the Jets, sitting behind LaDainian Tomlinson and learning while L.T. winds down ... which should be soon.
8. Pass play I'm waiting to see: Donovan McNabb going deep on Philadelphia's Nate Allen. The Eagles picked up Allen with the second-round pick they acquired for McNabb.
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Rang's Grades: Seahawks, Niners do well Reuter: Best of the Rest: Undrafted Reynolds: Notebook: Flurry of veteran deals Draft Tracker | Draft trades | Rang's NFL Draft blog Draft notes: Campbell deal leads day of shuffling Day 3: Campbell sent to Raiders, White to Seattle Day 2: Panthers take Clausen; C. McCoy to Browns Day 1: Bradford, Suh, Gerald McCoy chosen 1-2-3 Grades: Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 RapidReports: Team-by-team draft updates |
Pete Prisco
Inside the Draft: 9. So the Raiders stole quarterback Jason Campbell for a 2012 draft pick. Now tell me what they do now at that position. They brought in offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to try to salvage JaMarcus Russell, but Russell was outplayed last season by Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye. Now there are more quarterbacks in Oakland than there are black T-shirts at the Coliseum. Somebody has to go, and you make the call.
10. Poor Jevan Snead. He had a rotten junior season. He had a worse draft. The guy wasn't chosen, and don't tell me he wasn't warned. Talk about bad career advice. Snead should have stayed at Ole Miss another year.
11. You gotta love defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. After becoming the third pick of the draft he broke down sobbing and didn't stop when he bear-hugged commissioner Roger Goodell on center stage of Radio City Music Hall. The day before he'd asked Goodell if it was OK to cry, and he got a thumbs-up. McCoy's mother died nearly three years ago, and he dedicated the day to her. "I just felt like I made her proud once that phone call came through and I finally made it," he said.
12. Did the NFL Network's Rich Eisen really say that Chicago's Jay Cutler is "the king of Michigan Avenue?" Someone tell him that Cutler was the league's 21st-rated quarterback, ranking behind David Garrard, Vince Young and Alex Smith, threw a league-leading 26 interceptions and hasn't had a winning season ... since high school. If Cutler is the king of anything it's disappointment.
13. Nice job by St. Louis GM Billy Devaney to find more pass protection for Sam Bradford at the top of the second round. A year ago, Devaney spent his first draft pick on tackle Jason Smith and spent a lot of money on free-agent center Jason Brown. Now he adds guard/tackle Rodger Saffold with the 33rd overall choice, and suddenly the infrastructure in St. Louis is beginning to come around.
14. Third-day highlight: Olympic track star Carl Lewis announcing the Eagles' fourth-round pick, then yelling, "E-A-G-L-E-S! EAGLES!"
15. Another nice touch: ABC reporter Bob Woodruff standing in front of a group of U.S. servicemen to announce the Lions' fourth-round pick, the 128th overall. Woodruff returned to reporting after recovering from wounds suffered when he was struck by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Ten Biggest Winners
1. Jimmy Clausen, quarterback, Carolina. He goes to a team where there is no long-term starter, just Matt Moore. That's not to knock Moore; just an acknowledgment that he hasn't played all that long. In fact, he has only eight career starts, going 4-1 last season. Clausen, on the other hand, could step into the Panthers lineup tomorrow. He's going to a system he knows. The Panthers love to run. Their offensive line is solid. And Moore is the competition. Perfect. Plus, by going in the second round he doesn't have to do a five-year deal; he can make it four years. Good things do come to those who wait.
2. Jason Campbell, quarterback, Oakland. He gets out of Washington. Better, he hooks up with offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who thinks he can make him into the starter. So what if it's Campbell's eighth offensive coordinator in 10 years. It's somewhere he has a chance.
3. Ryan Mathews, running back, San Diego. There is no competition here. Matthews is The Man, no questions asked. Now the question: Can he live up to expectations? For now, all he must do is give the Bolts more than LaDainian Tomlinson did last season, and that shouldn't be hard.
4. The NFL. The move to prime time paid off big time, with the league polling its biggest TV audience ever and outpolling The Office, 30 Rock and Grey's Anatomy on Thursday.
5. LenDale White, running back, Seattle. At 10 a.m. Saturday I wondered where the Seahawks would find their next running back, and someone predicted it would be Joe McKnight. Right school, wrong guy. Instead, Pete Carroll hired former USC star LenDale White, swinging a deal with Tennessee for the big back. White was going nowhere in Tennessee. Here he becomes the starting back. Yeah, I'd say it was a good day for him.
6. Leon Washington, running back, Seattle. He wasn't a happy camper with the Jets, wanting more money from a club that wasn't going to give it to him. Instead, it gave him a one-way ticket to Seattle. If he recovers from a leg injury that shelved him last season he gives the Seahawks the explosive playmaker they could've had with C.J. Spiller ... but didn't.
7. Kirk Morrison, linebacker, Jacksonville. The moment Oakland took Rolando McClain he was a dead man. So he goes somewhere he can play and make a zillion more tackles. Moreover, he escapes the Black Hole.
8. Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator, Philadelphia. Before the draft, the Eagles land outside linebacker Ernie Sims. Then they trade up to grab defensive end Brandon Graham in the first round and find safety Nate Allen in the second. There are no more excuses for getting blown apart in successive weekends by Dallas.
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| The 49ers give Alex Smith a vote of confidence by avoiding a QB in the draft. (US Presswire) |
10. Myron Rolle, safety, Florida State. A Rhodes Scholar, he didn't want to give up on his dream to play in the NFL. So he returned after a year of studying to concentrate on football. "I want it," he said at this year's scouting combine. "I want it as much as anyone who's out here right now ... and I'm looking forward to stepping up to the challenge." The challenge just arrived. Rolle was drafted in the sixth round by Tennessee.
Ten Biggest Losers
1. Kyle Orton, quarterback, Denver. Let's see, the Broncos trade for Brady Quinn, then spend a first-round pick on Tebow. Read the tea leaves, Kyle: The end is near.
2. JaMarcus Russell, quarterback, Oakland. The Raiders just acquired Jason Campbell, so tell me what they think of their starting quarterback. Never mind. We already know.
3. Albert Haynesworth, defensive tackle, Washington. He wants out, and reports had him going back to Tennessee. It didn't happen, and now coach Mike Shanahan is saying he's off the trade block. Sorry, Albert.
4. Marshawn Lynch, running back, Buffalo. Hello, C.J. Spiller. Goodbye, Marshawn.
5. Julius Jones, running back, Seattle. The Seahawks just added White and Washington. They're telling you something, Julius, and it's goodbye.
6. Patrick Crayton, wide receiver, Dallas. With the acquisition of Dez Bryant, somebody has to go. Crayton's done the math and gained permission to seek a trade. Good idea.
7. Buffalo's wide receivers. The Bills didn't draft a quarterback until Levi Brown in the seventh round, which means it's Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm again. No wonder Buffalo wants to run the ball.
8. New Orleans tackle Jammal Brown. With the selection of Charles Brown it seems as if there's a Brown out waiting to happen. The Saints admitted they talked about trading Jammal Brown before and during the draft but didn't say they were committed to making a deal. Nevertheless, if I were Jammal I'd consult a real-estate agent.
9. Kansas City offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. He couldn't convince GM Scott Pioli to go get either of his two best playmakers last season, Clausen and Golden Tate. Sorry, Charlie.
10. Running back Jonathan Dwyer. At one time he thought he might be a late first-round draft pick, but he wasn't close. "Too small and too slow," one scout told me. That's a bad combination. Worse, he flunked a drug test for a pre-existing medical condition. Result: He lasted until the sixth round.
Five Moves I Love
1. Dez Bryant to Dallas. Brilliant. The Cowboys wait until the 24th pick to pick up the best wide receiver in the draft. Bryant sank because of questions about his character -- maturity, really -- so the Cowboys identified the competition, then struck before Baltimore had a chance to pick Bryant at 25. "He's a game changer," said Texas coach Mack Brown. Jerry Jones always regretted passing on Randy Moss in the 1998 draft and was determined not to make the same mistake twice. He didn't.
2. Clausen to Carolina. GM Marty Hurney didn't have a pick until the 48th position, then gets the second quarterback on the board. Are you kidding me? Give Marty that contract extension now. Please.
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| Dexter McCluster is an outstanding addition for the Chiefs. (US Presswire) |
4. Golden Tate to Seattle. He should have gone at the top of the second round. He went at the bottom. The guy's a playmaker, setting school records last season for catches and yards receiving and tying the Notre Dame record with 15 TD receptions. Seattle is fortunate he lasted.
5. Baltimore finding Sergio Kindle and Terrence Cody in the second round. In Kindle, the Ravens get an outside linebacker with first-round ability who slipped because of a knee injury. Trust me, he'll be an impact player, the perfect complement to Terrell Suggs. In Cody, they have a huge defensive tackle they can couple with Haloti Ngata to produce a solar eclipse. Let's see someone, anyone, penetrate the middle of the Ravens' run defense.
Five Moves I Don't
1. Denver taking Tebow. I have no problem with it if you use a third- or fourth-round pick on the guy. But a first when you haven't had a winning season in three years and just traded for Brady Quinn? Someone please explain.
2. Jahvid Best to Detroit. Running backs with concussions scare me, and a concussion ended Best's 2009 season. Once you have one it's easier to have another. And another. And another. Then it's adios, amigo. Detroit needed a running back, but this running back is a risk.
3. Big Ben Fallout. When commissioner Roger Goodell introduced a Make-a-Wish child to announce the Steelers' first-round pick he had trouble speaking over an audience that kept shouting, "She said 'no,' she said 'no.'" C'mon, guys.
4. Tyson Alualu to Jacksonville. The Jags took him with the 10th pick. They could've taken him with the 20th and maybe the 30th. So why not trade down? Apparently, they didn't find an offer they couldn't refuse. So they produced the first-round's biggest reach.
5. Guard Jacques McClendon to Indianapolis with the 129th choice. Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News had McClendon rated as his 328th best player on the board, because while McClendon has great size he doesn't move well and struggles to seal off defenders in space. To call this a reach would be generous, but Colts' president Bill Polian gets the benefit of the doubt.
Five Guys In Great Spots
1. Running back Toby Gerhart in Minnesota. The Vikings lost Chester Taylor and want someone to take the short-yardage and goal-line pounding away from Adrian Peterson. They just found him.
2. Tackle Russell Okung in Seattle. The Seahawks need a left tackle like Seattle needs umbrellas. So they get the best one out there with the sixth overall choice. Getting Okung solves the left-tackle position now and for the next 10 years.
3. Cornerback Kyle Wilson with the New York Jets. He doesn't have to start. That's why the Jets acquired Antonio Cromartie. But he does have to contribute. The Jets missed the Super Bowl because they didn't have enough defensive backs to thwart Peyton Manning. Now they might.
4. Center Maurkice Pouncey in Pittsburgh. The Steelers want to get back to running, and what better way to start than picking up one of the best run-and-pull centers to emerge in years.
5. Punter Brent Bowden in Tampa Bay. With that offense he’ll get a lot of work.
Five Guys in Not-So-Great Spots
1. Quarterback Sam Bradford in St. Louis. Sure, he'll sell tickets, but have you taken a look at his wide receivers? Uh-oh.
2. Quarterback Tim Tebow in Denver. Talk about pressure. At least he's not in Jacksonville, where the heat on Tebow and the Jags would have been unbearable.
3. Safety Taylor Mays in San Francisco. The 49ers already have him in Michael Lewis, a safety who can play the run and not the pass. This is just the younger version.
4. Quarterback Tony Pike in Carolina. FYI, Tony, the Panthers picked Clausen a day ahead of you.
5. Quarterback Levin Brown of Buffalo. The Bills need a franchise quarterback, but they passed on Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy. So they took Brown with the 209th pick, which is OK except even their front office admits the guy is a project. I feel for Brown. Fans want a quarterback they can trust, and they were hoping to find that guy in the draft … and maybe they have. In the meantime, Brown will be portrayed as the booby prize the club left with in place of Clausen and McCoy.
Five Quotes to Remember
"I just want to tell that you guys made the best pick in the draft, and I'm going to make you guys proud," -- Jimmy Clausen to the Carolina Panthers.
"I promise they will not regret making the selection" -- C.J. Spiller on Buffalo's decision to take him.
"They are looking to be in the playoffs this year and not want to be in the playoffs five years from now or two years from now," -- Lamarr Houston on his new team, the Oakland Raiders. Someone tell him they're working on seven straight seasons with at least 11 losses each year.
"I'm not trying to win a popularity contest" -- Jacksonville GM Gene Smith on the Tyson Alualu choice.
"If we can make him a special player then that's what we're looking for" -- Denver coach Josh McDaniels on the drafting of Tim Tebow.
