D-Day: The Next Five Picks!

Posting last night gave me an new invigorating way to express my young growing knowledge of the NFL draft. So I find myself here again today, ready to make and talk about my 6-10 draft picks. It should be noted that these projections do not take into account picks that will most likely be traded. This is a projection made as if picks could not be traded.



6 NY Jets- Vernon Gholston
To me this makes sense in every way! Jets play the 3-4, Gholston would thrive as an outside linebacker in that sort of a system. He could also contribute greatly as a defensive end if they needed! I noticed near the end of the season, especially after their off week, the Jets began to move guys around during the snap count. The Steelers began this style of defense and the Patriots now utilize this strategy also. Since the Jets used it successfully you can expect them to want to do more of that! Gholston would be perfect with that scheme, possessing a unique blend of speed, size, and agility!
The Jets were 9th against the pass last year but 29th against the run, so one may wonder why pick a pass rusher here? Gholston is way underrated in his run stopping ability. He put up 37 reps in the bench press at the combine, the same amount as premiere OT Jake Long. That proves he has the ability to take on a strong blocker and his speed show that he will have the ability to eliminate the corner on run plays.
A final thought, it would be interesting to see him playing on the same linebacker squad as David Harris, their outstanding rookie linebacker from Michigan!
A post final thought... I didn't dare put Matt Ryan here because I haven't seen anyone else doing that... but I don't understand why not. I looked at their QB's and I see that Kellen Clements is terrible! Why not grab a good QB?

7New England- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
I know this may be the first place you will see DRC going before Mckelvin, Talib, and Jenkins, but I think this is the way Belichick will go. DRC is a rare athlete at 6'1" he is good height for a corner, but to run a 4.33 at that height is sick good! On top of that he has good hands, and good instincts. Did I mention that he put up a 38.5 inch vertical? The only knocks I've heard on him is his tackling and the small school he played for. The small school doesn't bother me much, Cornerbacks don't seem to bothered by that and a summer of practicing with NFL receivers will cure him. As for the hitting, I didn't see the senior bowl, but I heard he showcased his hitting and tackling ability! If this is true, Belichick would love to get an athletic phenom like DRC to replace Asante Samuels.

8 Baltimore- Matt Ryan
Any other year I would have Matt Ryan down as a second rounder, but in this draft he looks to be a top ten pick because there is no better quarter back, next years QB prospects don't look any better, and the Ravens are just so stinking desperate. It's no secret that the Kyle Boller experiment failed. The Ravens have never had a solid QB. They are in the position to take one here, and bolster their wide receivers in the second and third round. They can focus on the pass game like this because I believe them to be a good team that just played really poorly in the pass game last year. Also comparisons have been made between Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger. After getting pounded by Big Ben last year, they may see the value in having that type of QB on their team.
I would like to mention that I find this comparison to have some validity, Big Ben is much more tough and that is one of the things that makes him unique. Also Big Ben didn't struggle with throwing interceptions in college like Matt Ryan has.

9Cincinati- Keith Rivers
This pick is difficult also, I can see them going after a DE since there are many good ones and they just lost Smith to free agency. Still I think with all the trouble they had at linebacker last year they go with the best OLB in the draft. Rivers dominated at the Senior Bowl showing he can get to the QB and pursue a running back. Best of all he had good fundamentals when covering TEs and RBs, a lost art on many linebackers. In the end Rivers is a nice fit for the Bengals.

10New Orleans- Leodis McKelvin
McKelvin could very well go before this, but I believe the saints take him here. He is a physical corner who will jam a receiver and help in run support! He runs a sub 4.4 in the 40. If not for his struggles with catching the ball he would easily be the best CB in the draft. The Saints need so much help right now that they can't be picking guys for their hands but rather for their ability to help with pass and run.

A few notes at the end of this post...

1. I do believe the saints picked up Randle Gay in Free Agency, still I believe they will look for another CB in the first round.
2. Though I doubt Chad Henne will be drafted till the mid to late second round, possibly as the 4th QB, I think he will lead the best career of all the QB prospects this year.
3. I saw in a few mock drafts that some people think the Steelers will look RB in the first round since Parker is coming off a serious late season injury and Davenport as the feature back. I thought that was possible even with the glaring OL needs, but the Steelers picked up Mewelde Moore on the free agent market. I know what you must be thinking... Who in the world is Mewelde Moore? He is a balanced running back from the Vikings who was actually quiet effective in the limited time he saw in Minisota. For his career, Moore has 1,285 rushing yards on 264 attempts (4.9 avg.) with one rushing touchdown. He also has 116 receptions for 1,093 yards (9.4 avg.) with three touchdowns. As a returner, Moore has returned 74 punts for 768 yards (10.4 avg.) with two touchdowns and 26 kickoffs for 503 yards (19.3 avg.).

For now that is it! Hope you enjoy! I would tell you to leave a comment but since I have no doubt that Ben is the only one reading this, I'll just say thanks for reading!