AFC East 2008 Draft Needs

by | Apr 21, 2008 | NFL Draft

AFC East 2008 Draft Needs, Team by Team

New England Patriots
Top needs: LB, CB, S
For a team that went undefeated during the regular season and went to the Super Bowl the Patriots have a lot of needs, especially on defense. Aside from needing a new sideline videographer, the team lost Asante Samuel and Eugene Wilson from its defensive backfield. And its linebackers, especially Junior Seau and Tedy Bruschi, are still capable but approaching their last legs. The Patriots will likely grab the best defensive back or linebacker on their board at pick number seven.

Buffalo Bills
Top needs: WR, OL, defense
The only consensus on Buffalo’s needs based on a cursory glance at several draft magazines and web sites is that there is no consensus. This is a team that, while not completely devoid of talent, still needs to fill plenty of holes. Lee Evans is the only starting-level wide receiver so that would be a start. The offensive line is better than it has been, but still needs an upgrade. Cornerbacks Terrence McGee and Ashton Youboty don’t exactly strike fear in opposing quarterbacks. And last season the team ranked 29th in pass rush. So take your pick – any talent this team can grab early on will have a chance to make an immediate impact.

New York Jets
Top needs: OLB, DT, OL
Despite having solid personnel to run the 4-3 defense, coach Eric Mangini converted the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets to the 3-4, immediately rendering LB Jonathan Vilma and DT Dwayne Robertson irrelevant. Vilma was dealt to New Orleans and Robertson will likely be gone by draft day. The Jets traded for Kris Jenkins, but they need to back him up with someone sturdy, as he’s been fragile of late. They also added Calvin Pace to play OLB, but he’s been inconsistent at best. So defense is a need. The Jets immediate needs at OL were filled by the signings of G Alan Faneca and T Damien Woody, but Faneca is aging and Woody has never been all that great either. Interestingly one spot the Jets don’t desperately need to fill is running back since Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are a decent tandem. Yet New York is considered by some to be a likely landing spot for Darren McFadden. Go figure.

Miami Dolphins
Top needs: OL, QB, LB
This team is terrible for a reason – most of its players suck. It would be easier to make a list of positions they don’t need – it would be nearly blank. A good start would be solidifying the offensive line which could start with Jake Long at the beginning of the draft. He would be the best left tackle since Richmond Webb left. He’d at least allow John Beck to know he wouldn’t be getting smeared from the blindside every time he dropped back to fumble or throw an interception. Beck looked like a wasted pick last year. He could develop, but it’d be smart for the Dolphins to add some insurance somewhere in the draft. Linebacker was a flip of the coin for the third need. Zach Thomas was cut leaving a gaping hole. But the team needs defensive linemen and defensive backs as well. Bill Parcells has his work cut out for him with this reclamation project. It’s been awhile since there has been a team this bad in the NFL. It’s almost funny. If I were Parcells I’d be looking to trade down as much as possible, adding pick after pick after pick for the next couple of drafts. Otherwise these guys are likely to remain a lost cause.

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

Yet another Los Angeles stadium plan

by | Apr 18, 2008 | Business of Football, NFL Breaking News

Edward P. Roski Jr. plans to build an $800 million stadium to bring an NFL team to Los Angeles.

Roski, a developer, plans to construct a 75,000 seat stadium with 175 suites. He plans to either purchase a team or become a minority partner, according to Bloomberg.

“A Los Angeles NFL team would become a part of the fabric of the community and a source of pride, just like the Lakers are,” Roski said at a new conference at Staples Center. (more…)

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.