NFL Draft Thoughts

Well, I am usually fairly ambivalent about the NFL draft, save for a few GT players and where they end up. This year is a bit different with the drama around Calvin Johnson. I read what a few of the guru's think and seen the rumors about trades. With that, I wanted to offer some of my thoughts and expectations about what will happen Saturday:

First I want to talk about WHERE I would like to see him end up.............. The Falcons? Hometown fav? That would be cool, particularly from the standpoint of the regular campus visits he could make. The depth of the school's future relationship with Calvin would be at its highest at ATL for sure. However, I am not a Mike Vick fan and I don't see Calvin reaching his potential with the Falcons........................ The Raiders? Nope, unless he figures out how to throw himself the ball. Al Davis is not a builder of men.................... Detroit? Please no. Not to the graveyard of the NFL.................... Cleveland? Not great, not terrible, pretty ambivalent about this one............. Washington? That might be cool with Joe Gibbs back there running the show.................. which brings me to where I would like to see him the most - Tampa Bay. I like Gruden, like the potential of the squad, and I like what they could do with Calvin.

Now, as to what you might see on draft day, here are some thoughts.

1. Oakland picks first. I fully expect them to take Jamarcus Russell. Honestly, I don't think they have a choice. After passing on Matt Leinert last season, they are so desperate for a QB it hurts. Forget all the scuttlebutt about going after free agents like D.Culpepper and picking Calvin #1. I see them sticking with Russell with their pick, and I honestly don't see that they have a choice. The only way this happens is if they draft Calvin and dangle him for trade bait, which is a possibility. However, in my opinion, I don't see this happening. All you've been hearing is probably nothing more than postering if you ask me.
2. Detroit has the 2nd pick and no matter how much they love Calvin, they can't pick him either - again, unless it's for trade bait. A 4th year in a row picking a WR in the 1st round? Won't happen. However, I am expecting the #2 slot to be where Calvin is taken? Why? I see Detroit shopping that pick. The most likely taker - Tampa Bay. Could be Atlanta. Could be Washington. However, some surprises could happen. Could the Falcons make a play for the hometown guy? Not likely. I see Calvin going #2 to the Bucs. The other scenario is that Detroit does draft Calvin, but THEN begins the process of shopping him. If an offer is good, then they pull the trigger. The other side to that option is that if no offer is to their liking, they just drafted their 4th WR in a row in the 1st round. Of course, who's going to really argue when it's CJ? Not me........
3. Cleveland next. It's either Adrian Peterson, Brady Quinn or Joe Thomas. My money is on Peterson, but what do I know.
4. Detroit is next if they traded their #2 pick. Watch out for Gaines Adams from Clemson here
5. Arizona - Joe Thomas with the 5th pick is my guess
6. There's been a lot of speculations that Washington is likely to trade up to nab Calvin with the #2 pick as a result of their time with him at the GT pro day. However, I it's likely we'll see the opposite. They are more likley to trade this pick away for some 2nd / 3rd / 4th round picks since they have none. However if Brady Quinn is off the board, this one won't garner as much trade bait as they might like.
7. Watch for Kenny Scott's name being called as well (day two most likely).
   

It should be a fun day on Saturday. Stay tuned