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| Landry could be the best defensive player in this draft |
did very well there for a number of reasons. LaRon Landry, S LSU, is that
rare top ten pick who is both a safe pick and a dynamic talent. He has the
size and speed for the NFL, played in a big time program and since his
brother is already in the NFL there is less chance that the money is going
to cause him to change his work ethic and drive to succeed. For these
reasons he is safe and while injuries and bad luck can always come into
play, he should be a solid pro. I believe he is the best defensive player in
the draft. Gaines Adams went higher because he is a rush end, but there
are more question marks with him than with Landry.
The other reason this pick has so much value is because of the failure that
Sean Taylor is threatening to become. He has a bad attitude and is not a
team player, but because he is also the best athlete and most talented
player on defense he feels like he is immune from the critics. Landry will
both push Taylor to improve and also provide insurance if he flames out
and shoots someone or does something else stupid like spitting on a
referee. These two can cover a lot of mistakes for a Greg Williams
defense that likes to gamble and put pressure on an offense.
When you consider that the secondary’s inability to cover for the mistakes
up front last year because of the injuries in the line and at CB and the
mistake that the Archuleta signing proved to be, the Redskin defense
should be vastly improved with this pick. The return from injury of Shawn
Springs and Carlos Rogers (if he progresses, because he needs to get
better or he will fast become a top ten draft pick bust) and the addition of
Fred Smoot and David Macklin gives them secondary depth they did not
have last year. They did not address the DL, but the hope is the injury
bug will leave them alone in 2007 and the talent will come through.
The second round pick is where things get bad for the Redskins. I judge a
draft, not only by the picks, but also by the trades that make up the entire
draft. While philosophically I believe that building through the draft is a
better plan, since they did not ask me, I will keep to the analysis and judge
the player received for the pick versus the talent on the board at the time.
The Redskins NFL scouting department gets a bad grade for picks 3 and
4. The trade last year of a number 2 to move up and get Rocky McIntosh
is questionable because last year was a wash for McIntosh, but he was not
high on many team’s board last year when they reached for that pick. He
needs to really play well this year to justify that move. Having said all that,
if he improves, the extra year in the system, the little bit they got out of him
last year and the knowledge of the defense will make him a much better
pick than any LB’s available at that spot this year.
Trading a third round pick for T.J. Duckett was a waste. It upset the other
back-up running backs on the roster at the time and he is not the player
that many seem to think he is. He does run with power, but since he is
very big for a RB and was productive in college some NFL people think he
is the next Jerome Bettis. He runs soft, he does not have the desire or the
feet to be a productive back in the NFL and this was the worst pick of the
2007 draft… unless you look closer at their trade for the fourth rounder.
Brandon Lloyd cost the Redskins two picks, including the fourth rounder
this year and he was not productive and was also not a “Redskin” player.
He was disruptive and never fit in to the system. Duckett and Lloyd make
me say, “shame on the scouting department, or whoever else in the
organization did not listen to them if they advised against these two.”
Back to the picks they did make. I really believe that Dallas Sartz and H.B.
Blades were good picks. One of the two can wash out and it is still okay
because of how late you took them. The other thing I like is the fact that
there are two LB’s. They will compete with each other and make each
other better. With the addition of London Fletcher there are fewer roster
spots here so McIntosh, Sartz and Blades will battle each other and all
improve. If they were all to make the roster, there will be a strong bind, but
any way it turns out, the competition makes them better.
Sartz has great size and since he played in a big time college program at
USC he is likely to know how to practice, understand a difficult scheme and
develop into a player. The concerns on him were lack of plays in college
and his lean build without blazing speed. Because he is 6’5” he plays too
upright and is not strong enough to get blockers off him. His instincts
helped him overcome that at the college level and he is a good athlete, but
most people see him only as a situational player in the NFL until he puts
on more weight and gains strength. He is probably a practice squad
player in 2007.
Blades is the intriguing pick. His bloodlines are solid (I am assuming
everyone knows that he is a member of the family that has produced
Bennie, Al and Brian Blades and sent them to the NFL), and his production
in college at Pittsburgh was extremely high. He is not tall enough for the
NFL measuring sticks, but he makes plays. The same weight as Sartz,
238 lbs., and six inches shorter makes for a contrast. These two players
are probably only special teams’ players in 2007, but they combine to be
worth the risk in the late rounds.
Jordan Palmer was a bad pick in my opinion. They may need another
body at QB for practice, but he could have been had as a free agent and if
not, there are others that fit the bill. For all his obvious size and talent and
the fact that he is Carson Palmer’s brother, he just does not perform in the
clutch, is too mechanical and was not a strong leader at UTEP. He throws
too many interceptions and is not very mobile. I am of the belief that these
type of developmental QB’s should match the physical talents of the
starter and he does not have the arm strength or mobility of Jason
Campbell. He is better off with a team like the Giants or Colts where he
can watch a similar style QB for a few years and if he needs to play in an
injury pinch, will not cause your offense to change too much.
Tyler Ecker was another bad pick. He is too thin, does not block well and
runs a 4.85 so that is all I need to say. He will not last past the first cut.
Derek Schouman, TE from Boise State was available here, so was Dallas
Baker, WR Florida so there were better options. Also Ben Patrick from
Delaware by way of Duke was picked one spot ahead. If getting depth at
TE and QB were the goals, why not take Patrick in the sixth and then pick
up Palmer. Also, Jared Zabransky, Chris Leak and Tyler Palko were all
still available in the seventh and rated higher than Palmer.
Overall, this was draft that rates a C- for these reasons. Landry is an
almost guaranteed good pick and there will be ten or more busts in the
first round like always, so this is so critically important to Washington
because of the cap issues they have on a consistent basis. He also fills a
need, so that is a huge plus. Getting McIntosh a year early means much
more value here and the two later round LB’s will make one of them rise to
the top. The trades for Duckett and Lloyd and the drafting of Ecker and
Palmer drag this draft down.
Joe.Redskin and AFATT Says So...
rare top ten pick who is both a safe pick and a dynamic talent. He has the
size and speed for the NFL, played in a big time program and since his
brother is already in the NFL there is less chance that the money is going
to cause him to change his work ethic and drive to succeed. For these
reasons he is safe and while injuries and bad luck can always come into
play, he should be a solid pro. I believe he is the best defensive player in
the draft. Gaines Adams went higher because he is a rush end, but there
are more question marks with him than with Landry.
The other reason this pick has so much value is because of the failure that
Sean Taylor is threatening to become. He has a bad attitude and is not a
team player, but because he is also the best athlete and most talented
player on defense he feels like he is immune from the critics. Landry will
both push Taylor to improve and also provide insurance if he flames out
and shoots someone or does something else stupid like spitting on a
referee. These two can cover a lot of mistakes for a Greg Williams
defense that likes to gamble and put pressure on an offense.
When you consider that the secondary’s inability to cover for the mistakes
up front last year because of the injuries in the line and at CB and the
mistake that the Archuleta signing proved to be, the Redskin defense
should be vastly improved with this pick. The return from injury of Shawn
Springs and Carlos Rogers (if he progresses, because he needs to get
better or he will fast become a top ten draft pick bust) and the addition of
Fred Smoot and David Macklin gives them secondary depth they did not
have last year. They did not address the DL, but the hope is the injury
bug will leave them alone in 2007 and the talent will come through.
The second round pick is where things get bad for the Redskins. I judge a
draft, not only by the picks, but also by the trades that make up the entire
draft. While philosophically I believe that building through the draft is a
better plan, since they did not ask me, I will keep to the analysis and judge
the player received for the pick versus the talent on the board at the time.
The Redskins NFL scouting department gets a bad grade for picks 3 and
4. The trade last year of a number 2 to move up and get Rocky McIntosh
is questionable because last year was a wash for McIntosh, but he was not
high on many team’s board last year when they reached for that pick. He
needs to really play well this year to justify that move. Having said all that,
if he improves, the extra year in the system, the little bit they got out of him
last year and the knowledge of the defense will make him a much better
pick than any LB’s available at that spot this year.
Trading a third round pick for T.J. Duckett was a waste. It upset the other
back-up running backs on the roster at the time and he is not the player
that many seem to think he is. He does run with power, but since he is
very big for a RB and was productive in college some NFL people think he
is the next Jerome Bettis. He runs soft, he does not have the desire or the
feet to be a productive back in the NFL and this was the worst pick of the
2007 draft… unless you look closer at their trade for the fourth rounder.
Brandon Lloyd cost the Redskins two picks, including the fourth rounder
this year and he was not productive and was also not a “Redskin” player.
He was disruptive and never fit in to the system. Duckett and Lloyd make
me say, “shame on the scouting department, or whoever else in the
organization did not listen to them if they advised against these two.”
Back to the picks they did make. I really believe that Dallas Sartz and H.B.
Blades were good picks. One of the two can wash out and it is still okay
because of how late you took them. The other thing I like is the fact that
there are two LB’s. They will compete with each other and make each
other better. With the addition of London Fletcher there are fewer roster
spots here so McIntosh, Sartz and Blades will battle each other and all
improve. If they were all to make the roster, there will be a strong bind, but
any way it turns out, the competition makes them better.
Sartz has great size and since he played in a big time college program at
USC he is likely to know how to practice, understand a difficult scheme and
develop into a player. The concerns on him were lack of plays in college
and his lean build without blazing speed. Because he is 6’5” he plays too
upright and is not strong enough to get blockers off him. His instincts
helped him overcome that at the college level and he is a good athlete, but
most people see him only as a situational player in the NFL until he puts
on more weight and gains strength. He is probably a practice squad
player in 2007.
Blades is the intriguing pick. His bloodlines are solid (I am assuming
everyone knows that he is a member of the family that has produced
Bennie, Al and Brian Blades and sent them to the NFL), and his production
in college at Pittsburgh was extremely high. He is not tall enough for the
NFL measuring sticks, but he makes plays. The same weight as Sartz,
238 lbs., and six inches shorter makes for a contrast. These two players
are probably only special teams’ players in 2007, but they combine to be
worth the risk in the late rounds.
Jordan Palmer was a bad pick in my opinion. They may need another
body at QB for practice, but he could have been had as a free agent and if
not, there are others that fit the bill. For all his obvious size and talent and
the fact that he is Carson Palmer’s brother, he just does not perform in the
clutch, is too mechanical and was not a strong leader at UTEP. He throws
too many interceptions and is not very mobile. I am of the belief that these
type of developmental QB’s should match the physical talents of the
starter and he does not have the arm strength or mobility of Jason
Campbell. He is better off with a team like the Giants or Colts where he
can watch a similar style QB for a few years and if he needs to play in an
injury pinch, will not cause your offense to change too much.
Tyler Ecker was another bad pick. He is too thin, does not block well and
runs a 4.85 so that is all I need to say. He will not last past the first cut.
Derek Schouman, TE from Boise State was available here, so was Dallas
Baker, WR Florida so there were better options. Also Ben Patrick from
Delaware by way of Duke was picked one spot ahead. If getting depth at
TE and QB were the goals, why not take Patrick in the sixth and then pick
up Palmer. Also, Jared Zabransky, Chris Leak and Tyler Palko were all
still available in the seventh and rated higher than Palmer.
Overall, this was draft that rates a C- for these reasons. Landry is an
almost guaranteed good pick and there will be ten or more busts in the
first round like always, so this is so critically important to Washington
because of the cap issues they have on a consistent basis. He also fills a
need, so that is a huge plus. Getting McIntosh a year early means much
more value here and the two later round LB’s will make one of them rise to
the top. The trades for Duckett and Lloyd and the drafting of Ecker and
Palmer drag this draft down.
Joe.Redskin and AFATT Says So...
| AFATT Grade for the Redskins 2007 NFL Draft = C- Click on any logo to read individual draft reports |
