2002
NFL Mock Draft
Bill
Rudy
29 Jan
01
2. Houston - Bryant McKinnie, OT, Miami, Fl: Assuming the trade, this is obviously
McKinnie or Carr. I’m not sold on
the recent the talk about Carr, and instead suspect it’s just the traditional
rumour mill designed to try and get them extra draft picks. There will be a lot of quality QBs out
next year and their pick will obviously still be quite high, and there are
always stud DEs around (although I agree not w/Peppers’ potential). Further, I'm a huge believer that the
best way to build/rebuild a team is by starting with the front lines (see: JAX
w/Boselli or CLE w/Brown and Warren). So while Peppers or Carr are tempting, I
say they get whatever they can from Carolina and end up with the guy they wanted
all along in McKinnie, the best OL prospect since Orlando Pace. Texans take him and have a great
building block to start the franchise with.
3. Detroit (2-14) – John Henderson, DT,
Tennessee: Carr might be
tempting to the Lions as well, but McMahon has shown them enough that they feel
he could be the answer, given enough support. I can easily see a trade down here
(probably for Green or Gafney), but rather than deal w/that mess, let's assume
they stand pat and take Henderson, which wouldn't exactly be a bad pick. He's
the best DL not named Peppers in the draft, and while the Lions could use
players at other key spots, this is their best bet. Combined with Rodgers, this would give
the Lions the potential for a very stingy DL.
4. Buffalo (3-13) – Joey Harrington, QB, Oregon: Wow
what a shock, Roberta Johnson wasn't the answer at QB (actually what’s shocking
is how long it took the Bills to figure that out). The Bills could use help in various
places, but QB is the single most important position on a team, and they're in
desperate need of a guy with the potential of Harrington. He had a great senior year and could
become an excellent QB, and if nothing else is a MAJOR upgrade as he has good
size, can make all the throws, and excellent intangibles to boot. Carr (for whom the same things can be
said) could easily be the pick, but I give the nod to Harrington here, based on
the competition that he went up against being notably superior.
5. San Diego (5-11) – Mike Williams, OT, Texas: An
easy choice for an obvious need, although a trade down here is also possible (or
up to get McKinnie). Williams is considered a run-blocker first, but his
pass-blocking skills aren’t terrible and can be honed with
experience/coaching. He has the
size and tools to become a great one…..Marty S will make Flutie and LT (and
Brees) very happy campers with this pick.
6. Dallas (5-11) – Quinten Jammer, CB, Texas: Dallas needs help in various spots, but
perhaps one of the most glaring needs is in the secondary. Jammer is considered by most the best CB
in the draft and would go a long way in solidifying their D. He has the size and
physical presence which will by default also upgrade their front line, as
opposing QBs won't find open targets so easily on at least one side of the
field.
7. Minnesota (5-11) – Phillip Buchanon, CB, Miami
(Fla): Only the Colts rival the
Vikes’ D in lameness, and while they just miss out on Jammer, the gap between
him and Buchanon IMO isn’t extreme.
His outstanding combination of skill, hands, and speed will be enough to
land him a starting job, and – as with Jammer - automatically help that pathetic
DL look better as well. They need
help on both lines badly, but this is the best pick available. Maybe they can en”tice” Boselli or Roaf
to the team ;-)
8. Kansas City (6-10) – Jabar Gaffney, WR,
Florida: Great size, hands,
runs oustanding routes – simply the best WR coming out this year. Not a blazer (most this year aren’t),
but KC definitely has the need, although there are plenty of others. Consider: even at his best, Alexander was never
really a go-to guy, and Morris has either unimpressed or been hurt, so you
blanket Gonzo and presto, no KC passing game. The apparent emergence of Holmes helps,
but they need another legit weapon for Vermeil to continue with his Rams-lite
offensive dream.
9. Jacksonville (6-10) – Mike Pearson, OT,
Florida: Putting their
perennial stud OL Boselli on the unprotected list was an ominous sign of how far
the once-vaunted JAX OL has come.
He’s been one of the best for years, but he’s a little long in the tooth,
is a huge salary cap hit, and banged up of late as well. Assuming JAX sticks with Brunell and FT
(I’m trying not to snicker), this will be a big need pick even if they keep
Boselli, which I question. Pearson
is the flip side of Williams, ie a pass-blocker first but no slouch at run
blocking either. I can see them
going any number of directions here, but for now I’m sticking to
Pearson.
10. Cincinnati (6-10) – David Carr, QB, Fresno
St: If either this guy or
Harrington falls to Cincy and they pass, IMO they are even stupider than I
thought, and that’s saying one heck of a lot. Cmon Bengals, accept the fact that
surprise, it was stupid drafting a QB (Smith) so high who was largely
unproven. In fact, if you rolled up
the best of Smith, Mitchell, and Kitna, you’d STILL have a sucky QB. So while it’s true that they could
really use help in the secondary, once again QB is the single most important
position to address, and a stud QB like Carr gives them MUCH more than any CB
could. This guy has everything
Harrington has and it’s well worth a #10 pick to get a guy who could actually
utilize the talents of their young WR corps and ignite the “O” for years to
come.
11. Indianapolis (6-10) – Wendell Bryant, DT,
Wisconsin: the Colts
taking a DL is a no-brainer here (although it was last year and they screwed it
up – fn Polian). Sims is rising and
might be the pick instead, but Bryant is a stud DT known as a great run-plugger
who also has solid pass-rushing ability, and will go a long way to upgrading the
seive known as the Colt DL. CB is
their other obvious need, but excepting Sims, I don’t feel anyone left has the
ability/potential of Bryant at this point.
12. Arizona (7-9) – Roy Williams, S, Oklahoma: the Cards quickly snatch up a guy they
weren’t sure would be there even at #12, despite the history of safeties not
going this high. Another very nice
match of need and value. Williams
has a great size/speed combo for a safety and hits like a Mack truck, and their
secondary is in dire need. There is
no way they pass on this guy if he falls to them.
13. New Orleans (7-9) – Ryan Sims, DT, North
Carolina: injuries, age, etc
dictate that the Saints’ DL isn’t what is was or should be, so the Saints take
Sims, who did his best BF Goodrich imitation as the “other guy” playing next to
Peppers at NC and is becoming a fast riser on many draft charts. I don’t see them taking a WR as many
seem to think as IMO it’s just not as big of a need as DL. (although an OL like
Fonoti is also a strong possibility).
Regardless, maybe this is the year Haslett gets a clue that he should use
a grind-it-out scheme that relies on Williams and the D more than Brooks and the
passing game.
14. Tennessee (7-9) – Marquis Walker, WR,
Michigan: TEN could use help
along both lines (among other places), but let’s face it: their WRs just plain suck. They have for years. Just maybe this is the year that TEN
realizes they need a play-maker to take the heat off of the overused and abused
Eddie George and revitalize their offense.
Enter Walker, who did better than even Wolverine fans expected by giving
them another gifted WR. The only
“knock” on Walker is that he’s not a blazer, but he’s not slow and is otherwise
an outstanding prospect, with possibly the best hands of any WR in the draft and
a ton of overall ability. I was
close to making this pick Reed or perhaps Davis, but for now am sticking
w/Walker.
15. NY Giants (7-9) – Albert Haynesworth, DT,
Tennessee: I was very
interested to note DE Kenny Holmes on the Gints’ unprotected list, despite a
modest $2.9M price tag (at least it is for a supposed great DE). Maybe they’re thinking like TEN was last
year when they let him go. Anyway,
the point is that as with Nawlins, NY’s once respected DL has lost a good
portion of respectability, their run-stopping ability in particular. Haynesworth will be a major boost in
that regard, as he’s the space-eating type they need to plug up the middle and
help them get back to typical Giant’s (excuse the overused cliché) “smashmouth
football.”
16. Cleveland (7-9) – Toniu Fonoti, OG, Nebraska: CLE needs OL more than anything
else. Easily. A WR would be nice and I can see them
pulling the trigger on Green, but this pick automatically helps all the “skill”
offensive players and they need that like nobody’s business. Fonoti needs to work on his technique,
but is physically dominating and will help the Brown’s offense
immediately.
17. Atlanta (7-9) – William Green, RB, Boston
College: Jomama, along with
being perenially overrated and at that dreaded 30 age wall, is now showing
himself to be injury prone as well.
Smith was decent at times filling in, but he’s not the answer. Green has it all; power, speed, good
hands, and that play-making ability that the Falcs really need. He could team with Vick to give ATL fans
a lot to to cheer about in the years to come.
18. Washington (8-8) – Dennis Johnson, DE,
Kentucky: Bruce Smith is
holding up well but is as old as dirt; in fact, the whole DL isn’t exactly
youthful. Enter Johnson. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Spurrier
go WR here (and I’m sure he’d prefer to go offense), but I think he can nab a WR
in the 2d that’s not too much of a drop-off from what’s now available. Speedy and explosive, I see Johnson on
the rise. In fact, many consider
his ability to almost rival Peppers, although he’ll need to develop more and
bulk up some to merit such consideration…but I’m betting Spurrier will be
confident he can bring out the best in this guy.
19. Denver (8-8) – Josh Reed, WR, Louisiana State: Losing Easy Ed McCaffery last year
exposed a glaring hole in the Bronky’s offense: 2 good but old (and now banged up) WRs
as the starters. A very, very thin
position, and I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Kennison isn’t the
answer…so here comes Reed and the stat of the day: Reed AVERAGED 145 yds/game this
year. He not only has great hands
but excels at route-running and YAC as well.
20. Seattle (9-7) – Jeremy Shockey, TE, Miami
(Fla): I may change this to a
DL pick, but for now I stick with what appears to be a popular consensus pick in
Shockey. The Mili/Fauria combo
hasn’t exactly wowed anyone, and a big pass-catching safety valve like Shockey
would be a welcome sight to a QB struggling to prove himself (not to mention the
ego/offensive worries of a certain head coach). Shockey has great size and hands, and
while his blocking (as with most great pass-catching TEs) needs work, he’s still
a good overall fit for the Seahawks.
21. Tampa Bay (9-7) – Lito Sheppard, CB, Florida: Sheppard could go higher, but for
now I see him being a welcome and needed boost to the once-dominating Bucs’
D. His cover skills are as
good as anyone’s and he’s solid against the run as well. Good news for Parcells, I mean
whoever.
22. NY Jets (10-6) – Edward Reed, S, Miami (Fla): the Jets would prefer to go corner, but
“settle” for Reed and still give their secondary a needed boost. Reed is a smart, roving,
nose-for-the-ball kind of guy who will help those old fart corners keep offenses
honest.
23. Oakland (10-6) – Andre Davis, WR, Virginia Tech: And you thought Denver had some
aging WRs. Sure, Brown and Rice are
still 2 of the best, but with both well into their 30s (Rice pushing 40!), they
need the heir-apparent WR they’d hoped Porter would be. Davis is one of the fastest WRs
available and could also give them the return man they sorely lack. If Davis is still here, the Raidahs
won’t hesitate to take him.
24. Baltimore (10-6) – Kalimba Edwards, DE, South
Carolina: The Crows’ DL, while
still very good, is experiencing key losses lately (Herring, Siragua) and may
face more, and so must shore up that DL. Edwards been touted by some as very
“Kearse-like” physically and will be a welcome sight.
25. Miami (11-5) – T.J. Duckett, RB, Michigan St: Minor is too small to be “the man” and
hasn’t really impressed anyway…and Lamar Smith? Yeah right, good one. Put a fork in the old man, he’s beyond
done. A load like Duckett could be
the ticket for the Fins to balance their offense as they mix his power with
Minor’s scat-back abilities.
26. San Francisco (12-4) – Ashley Lelie, WR,
Hawaii: Mariucci sends a strong
“up yours” signal to Butthead Owens with this pick. Owens wants out and the rest (Stokes,
Streets) haven’t really lived up to their high draft pick billings. Lelie is a tall burner that could
stretch the D even further then they already do. Word has it that Lelie has bulked up
quite a lot – possibly as much as 25 lbs - and if he hasn’t lost any speed, this
guy could continue to rise, perhaps even jumping as far as the #2 WR
overall.
27. Green Bay (12-4) – Antonio Bryant, WR,
Pittsburgh: Check out what
falls into the Pack’s lap. Bryant
is the kind of putz who thinks Moss has a good attitude, and this may cause a
similar draft-day freefall…but like Moss, he also has ideal size, speed, hands
and body control, so it’s anybody’s guess whether he’ll go a good bit higher or
perhaps even lower. One thing is
for sure: GB has WR question marks
all over the place and I can’t see them passing on him if he’s still
available.
28. Chicago (13-3) – Mike Rumph, CB, Miami (Fla): Was going to put Craver in here at
first, but after reading 4B’s take and other info on this guy, I think it makes
sense…so for the 2d and final time I quote from his mock: “Rumph is a tall corner with good ball
skills. He also plays tall receivers particularly well, a must in the NFC
Central/North.” Makes sense, so
that’s my pick.
29. Philadelphia (11-5) – Napoleon Harris, OLB, Northwestern: Harris has outstanding size, speed, savvy, and lateral movement. He’ll need to work on his pass coverage abilities (but what rookie LB doesn’t?). Not their biggest need area, but he has outstanding athleticism and is an excellent value pick for the Eagles.
30. Pittsburgh (13-3) – Keyou Craver, CB, Nebraska: Craver lacks the size and glitter of the CBs ahead of him…all he does is play extremely consistent, solid ball, and the Steelers could certainly use the upgrade to their secondary.
31. New England (11-5) – Larry Triplett, DT, Washington: Seymour was a nice addition last year, but they have (count em) TWO DTs on their entire freakin roster. I think it’s safe to say they need depth. Triplett is short but an excellent run-stuffer. He’ll probably never be a feared pass-rusher, but then again how many DTs are? A bull of a guy who is a very good pick for the Pats.
32. St. Louis (14-2) – Andra Davis, MLB, Florida: Davis is a ferocious hitter who, like Harris, excels vs the run but needs work on pass coverage. Still, he has plenty of potential and gives the Rams’ LB corps added ability and depth.