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

Chiefs Dealing Jared Allen?

by | Apr 17, 2008 | 2008 Trades, NFL Draft

Thanks to the regulars over at RandBall, who clued us into the latest goings on in the life of a former Minnesota Golden Gopher kicker AND pointed us to a Jay Glazer article on the possibility of the Chiefs trading Jared Allen.

Apparently Allen is flying to Minnesota this week, and planning to meet with Tampa Bay next week, leading up to the NFL Draft on April 26th.

Two sticking points to the deal would be the new team agreeing to a contract with Allen, and working out compensation with the Chiefs. Both the Bucs and the Vikes have plenty of cap room, and need for a pass rushing DE. It is thought that a 1st round pick along with a 2nd or a 3rd would likely be the asking price for Allen–the Vikes pick 17th in round one, and the Bucs pick 20th.

We’ll definitely be keeping our eyes on this one, as a deal would have significant implications on the draft needs and predictions for all teams.

Henry cut

by | Apr 3, 2008 | 2008 NFL Free Agency, Business of Football, Fantasy Football, NFL Draft

Chris Henry finally ran out of chances. The Cincinnati Bengals issued a statement wherein team President Mike Brown said: “Chris Henry has forfeited his opportunity to pursue a career with the Bengals. His conduct can no longer be tolerated.”

Good to know that even the Bengals have limits.  It’s a move that had to be made, but probably should have one or two transgressions ago. (more…)

Patriots interested in McFadden?

by | Apr 1, 2008 | Fantasy Football, NFL Breaking News, NFL Draft

The New England Patriots are bringing Arkansas running back Darren McFadden in for a pre-draft look, according to the Boston Globe.

The impact McFadden would have on an offense already consisting of Randy Moss, Tom Brady, Wes Welker and other role players … wow. That would be an impressive collection of talent.

It’s hard to picture the Arkansas star dropping to the seventh pick with his combination of size, speed and playmaking abilities that some have compared to last year’s rookie stud Adrian Peterson. And there’s also no guarantee they would take him, given the presence of Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk and the defection of several key defensive players this off-season.

But if the stars align and he ended up playing half his Sundays in Foxboro he’d give the Patriots a reasonable shot at eclipsing the scoring record they set in 2007.

That would be some offense. Wow.